Better Together
by myboygeorge
Summary: A collection of one-shots for Esposito and Meredeth over the course of their first year together.  Crumbs-verse, rated M for future one-shots within.
1. Click: October 31

_Hello faithful readers from the Crumbs-verse! We're going back in time a little to start this collection of one shots, as there are important details in the Mere-Sposito relationship to explore between the end of 'Sixth Wheel' and 'Life of the Party', so we're picking up the day after the final scene in 'Sixth Wheel! Go nuts kids!_

* * *

Meredeth had never been to a party like the Hallowe'en one she was about to attend tonight. The last six years she'd gone to the shin-digs at her literary agent's place, who'd always chosen a different theme every year, something classy and dignified of course like a masquerade or detectives-only costumes. Rick Castle's party, it seemed, would be a nostalgic trip down memory lane as everyone dressed up as their favourite character from a 70s movie, which meant that Esposito's plan to be a pirate had gone out the window.

'He didn't do this last year,' Esposito grumbled as he searched his closet, looking for something to substitute at the last minute. 'Last year, I had my costume rented three weeks in advance and looked might fine it it too.'

'What did you go as?' Mere asked him from the bathroom as she pinned her hair back to fit under her wig.

'Desert Storm soldier.'

'Sexy.'

Esposito merely shook his head and sat on the edge of his bed. 'Are you going to tell me exactly how your whole French maid thing will fit in?'

'Nope, it's a surprise.' But she could hear the edge of a whine in his voice that was impatience straining more than anything. Still in her bathrobe - the one he said she could keep there - she walked into his bed room and saw him staring down his closet's contents like a gunslinger facing the enemy at high noon. She considered him, pursed her lips in concentration. 'Got a black suit, and a white shirt you don't mind getting its last hurrah?'

'Yeah.'

'Excellent.' When he pulled them out of the closet, she grabbed the shirt and disappeared into the bathroom with it for a few minutes, returned with it smeared red on the front. 'There, now you can be Michael Corleone.'

'I look nothing like Al Pacino.'

Meredeth giggled a little at his confusion; he looked so damn cute when he got that little pout on his face. She sauntered over, wrapped her arms around his waist. 'You could always go as the Academy Awards streaker, but I think I'm the only one who'd really appreciate that.'

'Michael Corleone it is, because you're right. You're the only one who gets to see this-' he gestured to himself '-in the skin.'

Meredeth's giggle turned into a full on laugh. Despite his open-mindedness about many things, when it came to intimacies about their relationship he was very traditional, which she'd found out the previous afternoon when she'd gotten a call from her agent about photo shoots for both FHM and Bombshell the next February. Esposito had agreed without hesitation which surprised her, but he'd hemmed and hawed a little before admitting the only reason he was fine with it was because her 'juicy goodies' as he termed them, would be covered up; the way he saw it, the only guy who should be seeing her stripped down was him. She'd have thought the notion of him being such a typical male would make her angry, but his desire to keep certain things for just the two of them made her feel all female and treasured.

She gave him a quick kiss, wiggled her eyebrows. 'Trust me, I have a feeling once you see me in this get-up, you'll live up to that promise.' With that, she returned to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Forty minutes later, Esposito was sitting on the couch of his apartment, watching the original _Friday the 13th_ on cable and waiting for Meredeth. They still had plenty of time before they'd be late for Castle's but he had to wonder just what the hell could be taking so long. Probably not a good idea to go there, as his sister had occupied the bathroom for hours on end when they were teenagers and to his recollection, she looked almost exactly the same coming out as she had going in.

'Babe? You sitting down?'

'Yeah, why?'

'Good.'

When she walked out, Esposito glanced over and felt all the blood drain from his head into his lap. She was a sexy, almost-zombie French maid, her rosy face now flour-white with ruby-red lips and heavily shadowed eyes and caramel coloured hair replaced by a wig of riotous auburn Diane-Ross like curls. Her long legs were clad in sheer black hose ending in black ankle boots with stiletto heels. The dress itself wasn't the short flippy skirt he'd imagine; instead it was straight black to the thighs that button up in the front, so when she moved the right way, he could see the stockings were the old-fashioned kind held up by garters. The top of the dress resembled a man's dress shirt, edged in white at the elbow-length sleeves, was left unbuttoned so much so he could see the edges of a black-lace bra; because he knew his girlfriend's body well he knew there was no padding, just pure God-given Meredeth filling it out.

'Wow.'

A little of Meredeth peeked through in the rosy flush in the cheeks as she turned a little circle. 'I'm supposed to be Magenta from _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_. You like it?'

'Wow,' he repeated. He'd only see the film once but he'd remembered well the maid whose costume had gotten skimpier and more S&M like as the movie had progressed. 'You'll win Castle's costume contest hands-down. That doesn't get judged until almost eleven, though. We could be late and blame it on Hallowe'en madness.'

'Excellent idea, but no. It took me almost an hour to do this make-up, and I'm not letting something as vital as sex-sweat ruin it. Besides,' she added with a wink as she grabbed her purse and coat from the closet, 'anticipation is half the fun.'

* * *

When they got to Castle's, they were greeted by the man himself, dressed in Athurian chain-mail holding a stuffed bunny with dripping red fangs like Blofield with his Persian cat.

'You may come in,' he grinned, 'but only if you answer these questions three.'

'Meredeth, to get a little drunk at a Hallowe'en party and purple.'

'Aw, why do you have to ruin my fun?' But his grin was still there as he closed the door, and took Meredeth's coat for her. His eyes went a little blank when he saw her costume, making Esposito's fire a little.

'Castle!'

'Sorry, it's just...I've never seen a better Magenta costume.'

'Uh-huh.'

'Are you sure you're okay with me doing those photo shoots?' Meredeth asked, slipping her hand into his as they went in search of drinks.

'Of course. It's just part of the routine. Anytime Castle oggles anyone, we give him shit because he's not exactly subtle about it, so-'

'Meredeth! You look amazing!'

Meredeth turned, saw it was Honey-Milk dressed in a white-nurse's uniform, her hair pulled back in a severe bun at the nape of her neck. Behind her, Ryan was dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket, his hair oiled and combed straight back.

'Nurse Ratched, and Danny Zuko, lovely to see you.'

'She's good at this guessing game,' Ryan said, bro-dapping knuckles with Esposito. 'And, surprise, surprise, you're not late.' He had no qualms about teasing Esposito on that score, not after the Hallowe'en candy his wife had given him in Castle's upstairs bathroom of all places not twenty minutes before. Thankfully his partner took it in good spirits and laughe

'Shut up.'

'I can't stay, I'm on nights at the hospital but I wanted to see this costume you told me about.'

Esposito turned a wary eye to Meredeth. 'She got to know about it?'

'You really think I'd give up a chance to make you lose your mind fantasizing?' Meredeth only shook her head and gave his cheek a little pat. 'I'll go find us some beers.'

As she made her way through the crowd, Ryan elbowed her. 'She's got your number, bro. Hey have you seen Beckett?'

'No, why?'

'Apparently she lost a wager with Castle so he got to pick out her costume, and let's just say it's going to give us a _lot_ to work with on Monday morning.'

'What-'

'Ryan, have you seen Lanie yet?'

Esposito turned and felt the same rush in his veins as he had seeing Meredeth's costume, only this time it made him feel very skeevy, as it was his boss and not his girlfriend he was looking at. Beckett had indeed lost a bet with Castle and was dressed as Chrissy Watkins, the first victim of Bruce in _Jaws_. She was wearing a blond wig, a flesh-toned unitard with shark fins strategically placed, and green ropes of fabric draped like seaweed over her arms, shoulders and hips. Before he even opened his mouth, Beckett held up an index finger in warning.

'Don't say it.'

'Yes ma'am.' Wisely, he went off to find Meredeth, chuckling to himself. Oh, if he only had a camera for that one he thought, as he went past Alexis and her boyfriend Patrick, who'd dressed up as Frau Blucher and Frederick Frankenstein from the Mel Brooks' film to find Mere-genta, as he was now thinking of her, talking to Lanie. 'Have you two seen Beckett?'

Lanie gave a snort of laughter. 'Oh yeah, and she's not a happy girl. But she doesn't welsh on a bet, and there are worse things to wear for a Hallowe'en party, like being a Playboy bunny.'

'Or Princess Leia,' Meredeth added.

'Hey, any man who doesn't think Leia in the gold bikini is hot needs to seek medical attention.' Esposito instantly regretted opening his mouth, as Meredeth and Lanie laughed a little.

'And on that happy note, I'm going to find my date, which shouldn't be too hard; he's the black Travis Bickle.'

When Lanie was safely out of ear shot, Meredeth enjoyed herself by plucking at Esposito's tie. 'You'd have liked it better if I dressed up like Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi?' As he started to considered, she pulled him in by his tie and whispered seductively, 'Does Princess Leia were black lace garters with matching g-string and push-up bra?'

She laughed when she saw his fingers tighten around the bottle of Budweiser. 'Didn't think so.'

* * *

Later, much later, Esposito lay staring at his ceiling with his heart racing and thanking God his girlfriend hadn't dressed up like Leia.

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	2. Click: November 4

Esposito was dreaming; he was Nemo in the Pixar movie and the entire homicide bullpen of the 12th precinct had transformed into the dentist's aquarium. He could feel something soft against his arm, and looking down saw it was Jacques the cleaner shrimp brushing up against his face.

'Javi,' it said in Meredeth's voice. 'Javi, wake up snooze-a-roo.'

He snorted once, rubbed his hand over his arm to bat it away and instead felt Meredeth's fingers there. He groaned a little as the sleep cleared from his eyes, saw she was already showered and dressed despite the fact it was just after six-thirty. 'I didn't hear you get up.'

'I have an early meeting, and I wanted to give you a little bit of dessert now,' she said holding up a box, 'in case we have to break dinner tonight.'

Sitting up, he took the box, shook it slightly. 'Is it a really big Hershey bar?'

Meredeth gave him a swat on the arm. 'Okay, I know we agreed on a limit since it's only our one month and tomorrow's my birthday, but I didn't buy you forty dollars worth of chocolate.'

Esposito shook his head, ripped through the shiny silver paper. He whistled appreciatively as he held up the black lace flyaway baby-doll, saw there was also matching panties with the little ties to add thigh-high stockings if they were so desired.

'What is this?'

'Like I said, dessert.' She grinned broadly, kissed him once lightly, then deepened it as he pulled her onto the bed. 'I made us a little breakfast, too.'

Esposito gave her a look. 'Is it pancakes?' When Meredeth said she cooked, she didn't just mean heating things up in the microwave, she _cooked_. It might have been chauvinistic of him, but there were some days now when the simple knowledge he'd go home to smell a homemade meal being made was his carrot at the end of an interminably tiresome shift. Even on the nights he didn't see her, knowing he would go home went and find Meredeth's leftovers in the fridge got him through the worst of the wrong turns or paperwork of a case.

'Even better.'

'Nothing beats pancakes, Mere, everyone knows pancakes are edible thank-yous for sex.'

'Not even waffles from scratch?'

Esposito's eyes went laser keen. 'With chocolate chips?'

'And coconut. After you shower first. I don't want mooning over breakfast pastry to make you late.'

By the time he was out of the shower, freshly shaven and dressed for work, he felt the smile creep over his face as he walked into the kitchen. Indeed, she had made waffles, and they stood in a lovely golden stack on the plate in the middle of Esposito's miserably tiny kitchen table, along with a bowl of glossy green grapes, fresh coffee for him and orange juice for herself, and a package propped against a jar of peanut butter. 'What's that?'

'The other part of your gift. I hope you like it.'

'I don't know. Waffles and the promise of black lace dessert is hard to top.'

Meredeth held her breath as he ripped open the package with just as much ferocity as the lingerie. Panic surged hot and bright as his face went totally blank. 'I thought you might like that to put on your desk. If it's too soon for something like that, I could-'

She cut herself off when he set it down to walk around the table, and taking his face in her hands, kissed her so sweetly she was surprised cartoon birds weren't bursting into song around her head. 'Okay strike that,' she managed when his lips left hers.

Esposito picked up the picture of the two of them she'd had framed. It was the same day they'd taken Arturo to the park and she'd taken some pictures to show off when she'd gone on her talk-show interview circuit. He stood behind her, poking her in the stomach to make her laugh as his chin rested on her shoulder, his own grin mirroring hers. Up until then, the only picture he had of her at work was the one Castle had sent him from the , and he doubted very much however happy it made him, that the two of them dressed as Michael Corleone and Magenta from _Rocky Horror Picture Show _would meet with departmental approval. 'It's perfect,' he murmured, tucking it into his work bag so he could put it right beside his monitor. He knew Ryan would give him grief on it, but the look of pure happiness on Meredeth's face in the photo was more than enough to drown it out.

Looking at his watch, he realized he had to meet Ryan; he scooped up his waffle like a bagel and crammed it in his mouth. 'I have to run, but promise me you'll be in your office around noon-ish.'

'Why?'

'Just trust me.'

* * *

She kept her word despite the fact it was almost one and nothing had happened as he'd promised. It had given her the motive to stay in her office keep her nose to the grindstone on her column; when she got into the zone, she could miss marching bands and nuclear war, and today was no exception as she looked up to see Kristof standing in her doorway, an amused grin on her face.

'You need to come up for food, if not for air.'

'Says you.' But she shoved back from her desk, she reached for her coat. 'You ready?'

'Actually we have to cancel. The lettering guy's on his way over with mock-ups of the Open Your Eyes cover.'

'Tell him to come up here rather than your office. More space.'

Kristof pulled out his cell, and looking past the door frame, let out a chuckle. 'Looks like you've got a fan.'

'What?'

Before Kristof could say anything, a delivery girl appeared with a long narrow package in her arms and a clipboard tucked under her chin. 'Delivery for Meredeth?' she asked in a voice that sounded like Daisy Duck with a cold.

'Yeah.' Meredeth signed for the packages, opened the long flat one first. The floral scent hit her instantly; it wasn't roses she lifted from the bed of greens but of cherry red amaryllis, sunflowers, pink gerber daisies and yellow tulips. All her favourite flowers, she mused, of course he wouldn't go for the over-done. The card was a medley of brightly coloured stripes with black lettering spelling out a joke. 'Ma'am I think you dropped something,' she read, before flipping open the card and laughing as she continued, 'my jaw. Happy one month Mere, ex-ex-Jay.' Inside the card, he'd also put two tickets to an off-Broadway production of her favourite show - The Rocky Horror Show - for the following Friday night. Without hesitation, she immediately dialed his number.

'Hey, you like your gift?'

'Thanks for the flowers, Javi, they're beautiful. And you've got the time to see the show that night?'

'Took it as a half vacation day. Did you open the other one?'

'The other what?'

'The other envelope. There's two in there.'

She dug into the box, then ripped open the second envelope marked 'Dessert' and felt her eyes go round in surprise. It was a professionally shot black-and-white glossy of him against a New York City skyline backdrop dressed only in a black pair of pants and his thin gold chain with a tiny crucifix on it, hands in his pockets and giving that intense stare that made her feel light in the head. She cleared her throat before she spoke so her voice wouldn't squeak. 'You did that on purpose, getting me all stirred up when you know I can't do much about it until later.'

'Well, let's just say you're not the only one who knows how to tease about good dessert.'

She couldn't help but laugh; when he turned it on, he _really _turned it on. 'I'll see you tonight.'

'Garoto's on Sixth, seven-thirty, provided I'm not hauled onto over-time.' Look for the handsome Puerto Rican in a nice suit.'

'Deal.'

She hung up the phone, waited a beat before she murmured, 'Love you, Javi.'

* * *

Esposito had felt guiltier in his life, but he couldn't remember when; he'd been able to make it to Garoto's for seven thirty, and had gotten a call from Beckett mid-way through the meal, telling him to haul his ass back to the precinct as their number one suspect had skipped on his lawyer and was now demanding to tell his case to the arresting officer - none other than Esposito himself. He'd given Meredeth his apologies, to which she'd given him an understanding kiss and they had their food wrapped to take with them.

Now, four hours and one very cranky sketch artist later, he let himself into her apartment, yawning widely. He saw she'd left a little note on the fridge for him too - _Dinner's in the fridge, dessert's on the couch_. He turned around, and felt his heart break between guilt and arousal.

She'd put on the lacy lingerie, including the thigh-high black stockings, and had fallen sound asleep sprawled on her back on her comfortable sofa. He crossed to her, brushed her hair off her brow as she sighed in her sleep. It was rare she looked so peaceful when she slept; it was part of the reason he liked to spend overnights with her so he could comfort her in the event of one of her night terrors.

Tossing his jacket on the table, he hooked one arm under her knees and braced her back in the other, and carried her into bed. He saw her eyelashes flutter as he placed her on the bed, and her lips made a little pucker. 'Javi?' she asked sleepily.

'Yeah, it's me.'

'Oh, I'm sorry, I fell asleep. I was trying to wait up for you, surprise you with dessert when you got home.'

Esposito stripped off his belt, loosened his tie as she sat up. 'It's okay, baby.'

'How did everything go at the station?'

'Difficult. Guy babbled more than Castle on a sugar high but we got some good information out of him.' Esposito started to unbutton his shirt but the now-awake Meredeth rose onto her knees on the bed, put her hands on his chest. 'Sweetie, really, it's okay, you can go back to sleep. I didn't expect you to wait up after you had a long day too.'

Meredeth unfastened one button at a time until the shirt hung loose on his body before she slid it off. 'Suddenly not so tired.'

She got to her feet, kissing him with just a little bit of a tease in it. She manoeuvred so that he was now sitting on the edge of the bed and she walked forward so that her legs straddled his, and taking his hand, kissed his fingertips before she took his hand and moved it so it slid down one shoulder strap of her lingerie, then the other. Still holding his hand, she turned it so it lay palm-down on her skin, and she ran it down between her breasts, to where the lingerie fastened together; he flicked the hooks open with a deft move, then just let his hand rest there to feel the double-time tempo of her heartbeat. When she moved even closer so she was now straddling him fully, she placed her hand on his cheek and smiled her luminous smile that made all of Esposito's stress melt away like butter. 'Happy one-month, Javi.'

He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back so she was sprawled on his chest. With one hand still over her heart, he used the other one to comb through her hair before he pulled her back in for another mind-searing kiss. 'Happy one-month Mere.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	3. Click: November 5

Meredeth was awoken out of a deep sleep by the ringing of her phone. With a quick glance at the clock, she saw it was seven minutes past six in the morning and knew it would be only one person; reaching over the snoring mountain of Esposito she grabbed the receiver and hit 'Talk'.

'Good morning Momo,' she said in Danish, ending on a yawn.

On the other end of the phone, Constance Dakkars' voice was bright as a sparrow's song. 'Hello birthday girl, you are now officially thirty-one years old. How does that feel?'

'Tired. Javi and I had our one-month yesterday, and he had to go back to work until after midnight.'

'Oh, sweetie, I know you had other reasons for being up late.'

Meredeth felt her cheeks burn a little. It didn't matter that her grandmother had been a flower child and even taken Meredeth's mother to Woodstock in '69; it still made her feel squirmy that she knew her little _pige_ made love with her boyfriend. 'It's too early for sex jokes, Momo.'

'What's planned for tonight?'

'Drinks and dessert with Javi and friends after they're off shift.' Beside her Esposito shifted, pulled her close as his eyes fluttered open, his hands roaming over her body. The liquid sensation his touch brought to her insides gave her goosebumps she'd just as soon not have while on the phone with the only real family she had.

'Tell whoever it is to call back,' he muttered as he kissed his way along her jaw.

'It's my grandmother, you caveman.'

'That your boy?' Constance asked with a knowing but amused edge to her voice. 'Should I call back later?'

'No, it's fine.' God, how domestic did that sound? Meredeth mused. When she heard him take the boxer-Dane mix out, she rubbed a hand over her stomach. 'I really like him, Momo.'

'Then don't let me keep you from birthday wake-up calls. I'll see you for lunch.'

When she hung up the phone and wandered into the kitchen Meredeth saw the table was already set with coffee, juice, toaster waffles and a fresh bowl of fruit; at her place was a triple chocolate muffin with a candle in the center.

'When did you do all this?' she asked Esposito as he brought Arturo back inside. He only arched an eyebrow at her.

'You were out for the count last night. A fully military parade could have gone through the bedroom and you wouldn't have noticed, so you sure as hell didn't notice me getting out of bed an hour ago to make breakfast.' He found a book of matches in a kitchen drawer, held a lit one to the candle. 'How's Momo?'

'Fine, though she pretty much asked if she was interrupting morning sex, which would be a much more pleasant way to start my birthday than a phone call at the ass-crack of dawn.'

'You know she's done it, otherwise your mother wouldn't have been born, and by that extension neither would you and that thought makes my world a very dark place. And today is not the day for things like that.' He grabbed her hand, and tugged her towards the bathroom. 'Today you are the center of the universe.'

He turned on the water for the shower, tugged his shirt over his head. 'And birthday girl gets whatever she wants.'

* * *

Fueled through the day by a birthday breakfast cupcake and shower sex, Meredeth walked into O'Lunney's Irish Pub just off of Times Square shortly before eleven. She made her way through the tables, saw that Lanie, Honey-Milk, and Castle were there already; none of the cops were there, making her wonder if they'd see them at all that night. Not that she would get cranky, it was part of the Esposito package that he would have to be late or cut plans short when work summoned him back to the precinct; the little girl inside her simply wanted to open more presents and have as many photos as possible.

Lanie caught her eye, sent her a wide grin. 'Hey, it's the birthday girl!'

'I'm guessing the cops are still on the clock?' She leaned over to give Lanie a quick embrace.

'Yeah, and I'll have to exit soon, as I'm on the midnight-to-eight tonight, but I wanted to give you your gift.' Lanie picked a small bag up off the bench beside her. 'A little birdie told me you like cucumber and coconut bath products.'

'Javi has a big mouth.'

Lanie only smiled as she signed the Visa slip, shrugged on her coat and headed out the door. Back at the table, Castle poured Meredeth a glass of wine and gave her a little gift box. 'Alexis sends her regards.'

'Oh, she didn't have to do that.' Touched, Meredeth unwound the ribbon and snickered at the small plush rabbit whose mid section had been replaced by a large spring.

'She said it's an idea bunny, something to smack around when you have writer's block. And this one is from me.' Castle pulled a smaller, slimmer box from the breast pocket of his coat.

Meredeth felt her breath catch in her chest as she lifted the lid to find a Bookworm 702 fountain pen. 'Oh, nice! I auctioned my last one off at my last signing! Thanks, Castle!'

She took out her draft book, scrawled her signature a few times with the neon blue ink. As she recapped the pen, she closed her eyes and bit her lip to keep the smile off her face. 'Hello Detective.'

'Hello Writer-Girl.' He didn't bother wondering how she knew it was him. 'You been here long?'

'About fifteen minutes. Lanie just left. Thirsty?'

'As long as it's fermented, send it this way.' He sat down beside his girlfriend and gave her a kiss he'd normally have reserved for an elevator; he lingered for a few minutes there before accepting the wine from a broadly smirking Castle. 'Ryan's parking the car and Beckett will be down once the paperwork's done.'

He put his arm on the back of her chair as Honey-Milk passed her a flat box wrapped in blue paper decorated with yellow smiley faces; he watched as the level-headed Meredeth ripped into the present like a shark in a feeding frenzy. She was by far the most entertaining thing in his life, even better than watching Beckett spin her wheels when Castle had first joined them at the 12th.

'Oh it's beautiful, Jenny.' Meredeth wrapped the purple and yellow striped woolen scarf around her neck. 'This will definitely come in handy taking Artie for walks in the dead of December. Did you make it yourself?'

'Yeah. I took it with me to work and worked on it on my breaks, even had a few of my more senior patients work on it when they wanted a break from colouring and _Garfield_ comics.'

'Ah, child labour, where would be without it?' Esposito drank his wine as Ryan strolled in and gave Meredeth a quick innocent kiss on the cheek. 'Watch your aim, pal.'

'Nothing wrong with a nip of the Irish to go with the brown sugar.' Ryan sent her a wink as he kissed his wife's smiling lips. 'You have a good day so far?'

'Save the chatter, it's present time.'

'Well in that case, happy birthday.' Ryan passed her a gift far too neatly wrapped for it to have been his handiwork. Meredeth took no notice of it though as she shredded the pretty pink and teal polka dot wrappings to find a copy of the Lego Indiana Jones game for her Wii system. 'I figured you need a game where you can drill it into Esposito's skull he's not the grand universe champ of Wii games.'

'Says you.'

'It's awesome, Ryan.' Meredeth tucked it into the bag of booty she'd accumulated from her friends, sipped her wine as the rest of the table ordered another round. By the time they were done, she was getting antsy to open another gift and wasn't surprised when she found a large box placed in front of her by her boyfriend. 'I wonder who this is from?' she said with a falsely curious tone in her voice as Esposito gave her a poke in the ribs. She untied the large ribbon on top of the box, lifted the lid and laughed out loud before she could help it. Turning to Esposito, she met his innocent look with eyebrows lifted nearly to her hairline.

'Are you freakin' kidding me?'

Honey-Milk and Castle both craned their necks closer to get a glimpse. 'What is it?'

Rather than answer them, she pulled out a stuffed fox wearing a black suit with a little red V stitched on the breast pocket below the name 'Guy', black cape and flat black hat. 'It's Guy Fawkes the Fox!'

The rest of the table sat staring in confusion as she cuddled the stuffed toy under one arm, took Esposito's chin in her hand and pressed a hard kiss to his lips; it was a toss up as to which one looked more delighted with the gift. Ryan only drank his wine, as he'd been witness to Esposito picking this gift up for Meredeth. Or rather, he'd thought they'd be getting a real fifteen minute lunch break and heading to a deli only to discover his industrious partner was dragging him to FAO Schwartz to purchase Meredeth's birthday gift. He'd tried to point out she was turning thirty-one, not thirteen, but it hadn't swayed the detective an ounce. Now, seeing the delight on Meredeth's face, it seemed his instinct was bang-on. Finally it was Castle who cleared his throat. 'And this is a big deal because...'

'My favourite comic books are the V for Vendetta series; Guy Fawkes Day play a central theme in it, which is also my birthday - November the fifth. It's perfect, I love it,' she said turned back to Esposito and giving him another smacking kiss.

'There's something else there, too.'

Meredeth examined the stuffed fox, saw a flicker of something shiny around his neck. Tugging at it, she saw it was a platinum chain that threaded through a little charm of an old-fashioned writer's plume. 'Oh, Javi, it's lovely.'

'I thought you might like to have something very writer-y when you go on your press appearances.' He unfastened the necklace from around Guy's neck, and slipped it around Meredeth's. He caught a whiff of her perfume as she lifted her hair so he could fasten for her, felt her fingers grab his wrist as she turned to murmur in his ear, 'You're so getting lucky later.'

'Bookend the day with birthday sex, I dig it.'

'Can't you keep your hands to yourself any more, Detective?'

The couple looked up to see Beckett standing there with a box that only meant one thing - cake - and a small parcel bag in her hand. Meredeth's eyes landed on the cake box first. 'Is that lemon cake with the strawberry mascarpone filling?'

'And fresh strawberries on top, just like you asked for.' Beckett set it on the table, passed Meredeth the package. 'I know Castle got you a nice pen so I figured this might go with it.'

Meredeth fished the leather-bound journal out of the tissue paper, saw her initials 'M.D.C.' stamped in the corner. 'It's perfect. I do my writing on my computer but I do all my draft notes by hand first, and I needed a new one.'

As a waiter came over to light the candles, the others began singing 'Happy Birthday' to Meredeth. When she felt Esposito kiss her cheek and tell her to make a wish, it was one of the most magical moments of her thirty-one years.

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy!_


	4. Click: November 16

It was domestic and homey but one of Meredeth's favourite times to spend with Esposito was their morning routine - she in the shower, him shaving at the sink as they boxed around ideas for upcoming plans or even what they might do that night provided he wasn't working overtime. 'So I got a call from my mother and her church's fundraiser lunch is this Sunday, and since it's my day off the roll, she's asked us to come.'

Meredeth's hand froze on the bar of soap, thankful she had the screen of the shower curtain to hide her nerves. 'Oh?'

'Yeah, my parents want to meet you and so does my sister.'

'Your parents?'

Esposito tapped his razor against the side of the sink, not at all phased by the nerves in Meredeth's voice. 'Yeah, we've been together for a little bit now and my parents are, to put it politely, nosy.'

'But...' Meredeth frowned as she rinsed soap off her skin. She knew he came from a Catholic upbringing in Spanish Harlem and she was as far away from that as was possible to get. 'Do they know I'm not...like them?'

'Of course.'

'And they still want to meet me?'

'Why wouldn't they?' Esposito dipped his hands into the warm water in the sink, splashed water on his face before reaching for the towels that smelled fresh and cottony. 'They've seen pictures of you, and my sister grills me for details every time she texts me. Last week, nothing but Lili pestering me, 'When do I get to meet Meredeth? When is coming to Mami and Papa's house?'

Meredeth switched off the water, pulled the curtain back to retrieve her towel. 'You're not blowing smoke?'

'Three things in this world I never joke about - you, my family, and my undying love of chocolate. So if I say that they want to meet you, they really do.'

'Okay then. Should I bring something?'

'Those Nanaimo things you make, those will win over my sister like you wouldn't believe.'

* * *

Meredeth fussed with the edge of her scarf; she'd opted for the fuzzy warm concoction Honey-Milk had given her for her birthday to fight the bitterly damp November wind. She held the plate of her homemade baked goods in her right hand as she nervously clutched Esposito's with her left.

'Do you mind?'

'What?'

'I can't feel my hand.'

'Oh sorry.' Meredeth relinquished her hold on him, lifted the tin foil to sniff at her contribution to the bake sale. once they were inside. At least if they tried to run her off it wouldn't be because of her lack of cooking skills. 'I just-'

'I know you just...oh Christ, brace yourself,' he added out the side of his mouth as a squeal echoed in the church's reception room; a tiny curvy bundle of noise bounced up and wrapped her arms tightly around Esposito's neck.

'_Hermano_, you finally made it! Hold these.' She yanked the plate from Meredeth's hand and thrust it at Esposito. Meredeth had about three seconds to process the woman's arrival before she found herself in a hammerlock of a hug; she let out an audible 'oof' as she felt her air supply shorten. 'Hi,' she manged to get out, 'I'm Meredeth Coleman.'

'Oh I know! I read all the Lady Hawk books, and I follow you on Twitter. God that sounds so stalkery, but anyways, when I found out Javi was dating you, I told him I'd be up his ass bugging him until I got to meet you! Are you going to be in FHM next year? Did you really get a text from him on the Late Late Show?'

'Uh...yes?'

'Oh sorry, I'm Lili George-Esposito. Javier's sister?'

'Oh!' Meredeth felt her spirits lift as she made the connection. 'It's nice to meet you, I've heard many nice things about you.'

'Likewise. Anytime I've talked to him, it's Mere this and Mere that. Drink?' Without waiting for a reply, she looped Meredeth's arm through hers and all but dragged her over to the buffet tables. A petite woman in a muted blue blouse and pants with black and silver curls forming a frame around her face poured coffee from a serving carafe. 'Mami, look who's here! It's Javi's Meredeth!'

The woman looked up, her chestnut brown eyes bright with fascination. She put the carafe down to skirt the table and pull Meredeth into a hug just as bone crushing as Lili's. 'Oh it is so good to finally meet you, my dear! I'm Rosalita, and I see you've already met Lili, and my husband Alejandro is around here somewhere.'

'Last time I saw Papi he was cussing out Duncan Alonso for not paying him back on their Rangers bet last week.'

'Ah well, you'll meet him later. Coffee? It's Yauco Selecto. I got Al to bring it back the last time he visited his family in San Juan.'

'Oh she doesn't drink coffee,' Lili piped up, making Meredeth wonder just how much his family knew about her.

'Make her a cortadito, then, or a con leche, Lili, or there's plenty of sodas and punch with a punch.'

Meredeth was thankful when she felt Esposito finally appear on her other side; she slid her eyes sideways as she caught him trying to smother a grin. Of course he'd known she would get this kind of greeting when they arrived. They were his family after all. 'I brought some Nanaimo bars,' she offered as Esposito brought the plate over to the table and brushed his hand over the small of her back in reassurance.

'Yes, we've heard how you are spoiling my son rotten with homemeade baked goods. It's a bad idea to feed the chocolate monster that lives in his stomach, you'll never be rid of him.'

'Speaking of the things we can never get rid of, be advised soldier,' Lili said, eyeing the plate of treats Meredeth brought with the glint of greed in her eyes, 'recon intel says unfriendlies have been spotted in the hot zone.'

Esposito felt his stomach sink; he was nervous enough introducing Meredeth to his family and now he had to contend with a most unwelcome complication. 'Mami, no, why is she here?'

'Her family is a long-time supporter of the church, and besides I thought you said you were going to stay \friends.'

'That's just a line you tell someone to make a break-up easier to take.'

'Admitting lies in church is bad juju, _hermano_. Meredeth, these are fantastic,' Lili added as she bit into one of the bars with gusto.

Meredeth felt her head spin like she'd down a shot of one-fifty-one proof rum. 'Who are we talking about?'

'Val Morales. Javi's last ex girlfriend from two years ago who never seemed to understand that a break-up means it's over and is convinced the motivation behind every date he's had since then is to make her jealous.'

'Ah. Yeah I've seen a few of those in my day.'

'Not to worry, dear, I'm sure she won't cause any trouble for you. Anyone can see you're a lovely couple,' Rosalita said in a sympathetic tone. 'Lili, take Meredeth to find your father. I want to talk to Javier.'

'Come on, cunada futura, we'll go find Papi and bribe him with sugar to leave poor Duncan alone.'

Before any of them could move, however, a voice that made Meredeth want to climb the wall sang out.

'Javier!'

Esposito turned and braced himself for the hurricane that was about to land. A tall woman with a mane of glossy black hair and an impossibly beautiful figure strolled over in three inch heels like she was in her bare feet. Her jeans were second-skin tight, and the peach colour of her sweater made her toffee-coloured skin appear warm and smooth as the coffee Rosalita served. At first glance she looked like the well-tailored girl next door.

Until you saw the eyes. However sassy they were painted, the look in them was cold and predatory like a wolf sniffing out prey.

'Val, nice to see you.'

'I heard you might stop by today, with your new girlfriend,' she said with a condescending edge to her voice, 'and thought I'd come over and introduce myself. Where is she?'

'That would be this lovely lady right here.' Eager to show off her new toy, Lili gave Meredeth's arm a supportive squeeze. She'd known Val for a long time and could sense Meredeth would need a cheerleader if Val pulled one of her typical moves.

True to form, Val turned to Meredeth and laughed in her face. 'No she's not. Seriously, Lili, where is she?'

'Seriously, Val.' Esposito pulled Meredeth out of his sister's grip and into his own, wrapped his arm around Meredeth's hip. 'We just celebrated one month together on the fourth.'

Val stared in unabashed disbelief at Esposito before she cocked her head to the side. 'I don't understand. You,' she pointed a lethally manicured finger at Meredeth, 'are with him?'

'Yes, I am.'

'But you're a fat white girl.'

Meredeth felt the words like a punch in the stomach. Her instinct was to slap the taste out of the woman's mouth but before she could pull her thoughts together, she felt Esposito tighten his hold on her hip. Turning her head, she saw his eyes flash hot, her lip curl into a subtle snarl.

'No one speaks to Meredeth that way, not even when they're full blown crazy like you.'

'You should be so lucky to look like Meredeth,' Lili added helpfully, before pointing to Meredeth's breasts. 'Unlike you these didn't come from a plastic surgeon that cost a third of her year's salary. Same with that booty of hers, and her lips, and her cheekbones, and her hair colour too.'

'Not even going to ask how your know that,' Esposito muttered as Val tapped her foot in impatience. 'The point is, Meredeth is my girlfriend and I have no intention of leaving her for anyone, certainly not you so you can-'

'Javier!' Alejandro Esposito's voice boomed as he came up to his son, his six-foot-two, two-hundred-twenty pound frame nudging Valencia out of the way like she was a paper doll. 'Why you didn't say you were here? And this must be Miss Meredeth. Alejandro Ramon Esposito, and you've met my Rosalita and Lili.' He took Meredeth's slim hand in his big bear-like paw, kissed both of her cheeks. 'I hear you're a fantastic baker.'

'Excuse me, Senor Esposito, but-'

'Valencia, go away. I'm talking to my son's girlfriend and you're being annoying,' he told the woman without taking his eyes off of Meredeth, waited until Val had stomped off. 'Ignore her. She's a spoiled selfish child who has good taste and horrible manners. Now tell me about this dog of yours, how does he get a name like Arturo?'

While Meredeth and Esposito chatted with his father, Rosalita served coffee and watched the way her son kept his hand around Meredeth's waist, the way she giggled at something he said. It was sometimes hard to think of her rough and tumble baby boy as a man on the dating scene, but once she'd heard him start to go on and on about this Meredeth woman - his Danish angel, he called her - the radar up the way only a mother's could. When she saw him give her a sweet, innocent kiss on her cheek, she started to wonder if it was too soon to call her dressmaker and begin designing a mother of the groom dress.

'Hey Mami.' Lili sauntered up, her plate full of sweets she knew would make Rosalita roll her eyes. 'So what do you think of her?'

'I think they're very much in love, and they might not have a traditional church wedding but so long as Father Paolo presides over it, they could get married on the moon if it makes them happy.'

'Ten bucks says they get engaged by next Christmas.'

'Fifty says Labor Day.'

Lili shook her head. Her brother hadn't even told Meredeth he loved her yet; there was no way they'd be engaged before December twenty-fifth the following year. 'You're on.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	5. Click: November 27

_Hello faithful readers! So glad I have people adding this to their faves and story alerts! This snapshot is a little different than the first four in this story because I wanted to bring in the bro-ship of Ry-Sposito and Ryan's insight into his partner's commitment to Meredeth after Esposito's busted his chops so much on Ryan and Honey-Milk's relationship. Also, all the science is completely fictional I am not a doctor so I have no idea if that's how it works but for the sake of my story, just run with it. Cheers!_

* * *

Ryan loved his nights off when Jenny had to work late. Not that he didn't want to see his wife, but it gave him a chance to catch up with Esposito off the clock. The loose plan of a few beers and the latest _Die Hard_ on DVD had flown right out the window like John McClane escaping a band of German terrorists when his partner had shown up on his doorstep with - God help him - baking supplies. A treat for Meredeth was the only explanation he was given, as if this four-word response was answer enough. Now, forty minutes after his partner, who had just that afternoon sighted his SWAT rifle between a suspect's eyes, had started measuring butter and white sugar, he had to say something.

'Explain again to me why we are using our only night off the roll this week to become the world's most ho-yay crime-solving duo outside of Batman and Robin?' Ryan dropped the spoon into the cookie bowl and looked at Esposito like he was a dangerous caged animal as a thought occurred. 'Are we _baking_ so you can get laid?'

'No, we're baking because Meredeth is having a hard time with this move, harder than I realized.'

'Why? I thought you said she's excited to be back in Chelsea. Closer to you, and her office, better places to take Arturo for walks.'

Esposito nodded his agreement as he poured peanut-butter chips into the bowl. 'All true, but actually moving in there means her grandmother, who is the only real family she has, is no longer going to be a subway ride away. It's given her some rough nights.'

'Oh.' Ryan had been witness to just what a 'rough night' meant for Meredeth and it wasn't pleasant. Moving was hard enough but that stress on top of it...He felt a little slimier when Esposito paused before adding, 'She might be getting some meds to help her sleep.'

Ryan said nothing, just grabbed a couple of extra spoons out of the drawer and helped scoop batter onto the cookie sheet. He knew how much Meredeth meant to Esposito, remembered all too well the scene at her office building the day before Hallowe'en when they'd found her at the mercy of her so-called 'number one fan' who had held her hostage and the panic that poured out of Esposito at the possibility of Meredeth in serious danger. He also knew if it were the other way around, Esposito would do the same for him.

'So are we heading to Chelsea or Yorkville after these are done?'

* * *

They made it to Meredeth's apartment with the cookies stored in one of Jenny's Ziploc tubs, though Ryan was still a little convinced that something as cheesy as homemade cookies wasn't going to work on a woman like Meredeth.

'Be forewarned,' Esposito added as they approached her door, 'Arturo looks like a monster but he's a total suck.'

'Who-' Before he could say anything, Esposito opened the door and a large honey-brown dog leaped towards them, his coaster-sized front paws landing squarely on Esposito's chest as he gave him a lick on the face.

'Get off, Artie, these aren't yours,' Esposito said as he held the box out of the beast's range. 'Hey, Mere! It's your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Men.'

Ryan followed Esposito and Artie into the spacious apartment, saw the dog wag his tail in delight at Meredeth, hair bundled under a Blackhawks cap as she bubble-wrapped some glass knickknack amid a pile of boxes.

'Yes, I know, they're here,' she told the dog before setting the object into a box marked 'Living Room Breakables' and getting to her feet to greet the men. 'Hello Detectives.'

She gave Esposito a warm kiss before her eyes landed on the plastic container in his hand. 'What are those?'

'Cookies.' He lifted the lid for her to inspect the contents. 'Peanut-butter oatmeal.'

'My favourites. Thank you.' She grabbed two out of the box, put it on the table as she bit in and Esposito had the fun of watching her face go from delight to confusion and finally to gratitude. 'You baked these?'

Esposito was equally thrilled at her smile and smugly satisfied that he'd proven himself right when Ryan thought he was nuts. 'With real butter, not that fake margarine shit, and the flour is the unbleached white, just like the recipe said.'

'I helped,' Ryan added, stripping off his jacket. 'We used my kitchen.'

'That is so sweet of you guys.' Cheeks still stuffed with cookies, she dusted crumbs from her hands and kissed her boyfriend on the lips, followed it up with a quick smack on Ryan's cheek. The Irishman's own cheeks turned a little pink as Meredeth whirled away to the refrigerator.

'I haven't got a lot in the house right now, but there's milk, apple juice, some questionable sangria, and a couple of beers.'

'I'll take a beer after I hit the head. Where?' Ryan gestured around before Meredeth pointed him in the right direction.

Esposito took the beer Meredeth gave him, knowing his partner's excuse to the bathroom was as much to give them a little privacy as to void his bladder. 'So how'd it go with Anna today?'

'Interesting.' Meredeth cracked her own beer open, took a bracing drink before she told him about her session with Dr. Anna Fredrick. 'There's a doctor she wants to refer me to, who might be able to help the night terrors subside altogether.'

'You'd be rid of them?'

'Possibly, yeah. This guy Anna told me about, Franklin Werner, he's a hypotherapist.'

'A hypontist?' Esposito immediately flashed to a college freshman night where a so-called hypnotist had gotten various people onto stage and convinced them they were on rollercoasters or that one poor girl's belt was a cobra. 'Is that even legal?'

'It's not like those Vegas parlour trick shows. Hypnotherapy has gained a lot of ground in helping people with eating disorders, addictive habits like smoking, even insomnia.' Meredeth set her drink aside. 'And this guy, Werner, is good, he's really good. He's a board-certified hypnotherapist and psychiatrist, he was the APA's winner of the New Frontiers of Psychiatry award last year.'

Esposito crossed over to her. 'How exactly would it work?'

'The way Anna explained it, the subject - me - goes into an unconscious state to replicate the point in the sleep cycle where the night terrors occur and then use conventional psychiatric counseling techniques to dig out the root.'

'So you'd essentially be having these things while you're awake? No, I'm sorry, but no.' Esposito shook his head firmly. 'I don't want you to suffer like that.'

'And it's better I should go to bed every night not knowing if I'm going to wake up screaming in the middle of the night? Javi, doing this could mean I would get the best sleep I've had in nearly twenty years. You wouldn't have to worry when I travel for work, or if I'm sleeping alone while you're working nights.'

'Can you tell me that they won't get worse than they are right now?' When she didn't answer him.

'Javi, I get it, I know you don't want me going through these episode anymore than necessary, and trust me, I don't either, but the whole point of making them worse in the short term is so they go away for good.'

She was right, which made swallowing his male ego all the more difficult. It wasn't just that he was a cop who swore to serve and protect, since the first time he'd seen her have one of her episodes he'd made it his personal promise to keep her safe as reasonably possible. Not only that, but this would push their relationship forward to a whole other level of trust he hadn't expected he'd want. Sighing deeply, he pulled her in for a supportive embrace. 'Okay. Whatever you decide to do, I'll support you.'

'I'll call Anna in the morning, tell her I'm going to do it.' Meredeth shuddered a little. 'This is something I've considered for a long time, but I never had the motivation. Now I do.'

She pulled back from him a little so she could kiss him, a soft press of her lips against his, reassurance that she would be okay. When she felt him squeeze her tight against his body, she put her hand to his cheek. 'It'll be okay, babe.'

'I want to come with you.'

'Javi-'

'At least give me that. I want to know what to expect after...after.'

'Okay. You can come out of hiding, Ryan,' she added as he slowly walked down the hallway. His face was full of concern as he took the offered beer from Esposito, who looked like Christmas had been canceled. Beside him, Meredeth's usually sunny face was just as miserable.

'Everything okay?'

'It will be.'

* * *

When it was time to leave, Ryan kept his mouth shut until they were in the car. The underlying tension between the normally happy-go-lucky couple was very palpable and it made Ryan's gut clench sickeningly. As they pulled away from the curb, he eased into the conversation as gently as he could without sounding like he was prying.

'Everything alright with you two?'

'She's going to see a hypnotherapist to get rid of her night terrors. Each session, she'd be put into a sleep-like state in order to 'dig out the roots' as she put it.'

'And that's bad because-'

'When it's at night, I'm there to help her through it. This stuff, there isn't a damn thing I can do to stop it. At least when I'm there, I can help her get over it, but this...I don't know if I can handle just sitting there and watching her suffer through it. Goddamn it!'

Ryan's eyebrows nearly lifted through the roof. He'd thought he'd seen how much he cared about Meredeth at Hallowe'en, but this was beyond the heightened sensations of a new relationship. It seemed what Beckett had reported back to him and Castle was true: big bad Javier Esposito had fallen hard and fast in love with the pretty Danish woman. 'Does she know you feel this way?'

'Yeah. I'm going with her, on the first session.'

'Not what I meant, bro.'

Esposito only stared out the window, watched New York zip past. All those people, he thought, and he'd found his Meredeth amongst them. 'How long did you wait to say it to Honey-Milk?'

'About five months. We'd had dinner out, and we were taking a walk through Central Park by Strawberry Fields, and I just blurted it out. Scared the hell outta me when she didn't say anything for a few seconds, and I sincerely thought I'd blown it. Very few moments in my life have been as excruciating as those handful of seconds. Then she just put her arms around me and said it back. '

'Did you know she'd say it back?'

'I had a feeling she would, but I'd have said it even if I was flying blind. The right girl, she's worth that risk, and bro,' Ryan gestured his thumb over his shoulder towards the direction they'd just come from, 'that woman is definitely worth the risk.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy!_


	6. Click: December 8

'How can you be so calm?'

'Honey, relax. Doctor Werner isn't the bogeyman.'

Esposito jiggled his foot nervously. He'd begged, bargained and pleaded with Beckett for this time off, and he was ready to lose his mind with the waiting while Meredeth calmly paged through the latest issue of _Entertainment Weekly_. Finally, the doctor's office door opened and a short, pot-bellied man with a hooked nose and a thatch of onyx hair popped his head out with a patient smile.

'Miss Coleman?'

'Yes.' Meredeth set aside her magazine, patted Esposito's knee before they went in the office. 'Good to meet you, sir.'

'Likewise. My daughters all read your books,' he greeted her warmly before shaking Esposito's hand. 'And you must be the detective boyfriend.'

'Javier Esposito.'

'Yes, Meredeth mentioned you would be coming for this first session. Please have a seat.' Werner gestured to a squishy leather couch while he took his place in one of the wing-back chairs. On the glossy coffee table in between them sat Meredeth's medical files, the thickness of which made Esposito concerned. 'I've spent the morning reviewing your case history and I must say, I'm surprised you've waited as long as you have to try this method of treatment.'

'Well, I honestly just had no reason to do it.' Meredeth took Esposito's hand as much to reassure herself as him. 'They became so infrequent that medication wasn't possible, but after finding myself in a relationship where I don't sleep alone so much anymore, there's finally a motive.'

'I understand completely. After I met my wife, I suddenly wanted to get that nasty snoring habit of mine taken care of.'

'So what's going to happen, exactly?' Esposito asked, leaning forward, his cop's senses wanting to yank the file off the table and read through exactly what this guy had written about Meredeth. It wasn't that he didn't trust psychiatrists; he'd seen the department counselor after his old partner had faked his own death. But it was different when it was your girlfriend you promised to protect.

'We'll begin with a series of control questions to establish a base line of comfort, as well as what is called the safe zone, a mental environment that is a place of empowerment for Meredeth to take control of the situation rather than being controlled.'

'Will she be more vulnerable to having an episode after doing this session?'

'Yes, but there are no guarantees that will happen tonight, or at all.' Werner smiled at the young man's edgy tone. He'd dealt with more than his fare share of significant others in his twenty-seven years in the field. 'I understand you want to be present for this session. Provided that Meredeth has no problem with it, I will not oppose it and make a note in her file that this request was made by you. APA procedures and state law, you understand. Meredeth, if you could have a seat in this chair beside me, we'll begin.'

Meredeth nodded, left her purse on the couch beside Esposito, gave his cheek a kiss. 'I'll be fine.'

Once she'd settled herself, Esposito watched the doctor begin the process of lulling her into the fugue state, just like Meredeth had explained. And just like she'd said, there was no cheesy pendent swung back and forth or electrodes attached to her temples, just the doctor's soothing voice so calm it nearly put him to sleep. Finally, the doctor spoke in a clear tone. 'Meredeth, do you recognize my voice?'

'Yes. You're doctor Werner.'

'And mine?' Esposito chimed in when the doctor motioned to him. From her chair, Meredeth's smile was sleepy.

'Javi. My cop.'

'We're going to begin the control questions now Meredeth. When were you born?'

'November fifth, nineteen seventy nine, at six-oh-seven am Eastern Standard Time. I weighed eight pounds twelve ounces.'

'What was your mother's name?'

'Freja Dakkars Coleman, born April fourteenth nineteen fifty-four, died January twelfth nineteen-ninety-one.'

'And what do you do for a living?'

'I'm a writer. I write the Lady Hawk graphic novels with my long time friend Kristof Schillen.'

The doctor nodded, made notes on his pad. 'Now, Meredeth, I would like for you to describe a room for me, one where you feel comfortable and completely relaxed.'

'Javi's bedroom. It's got pale grey walls with lots of sports memorabilia, and the bed has black and grey checkered sheets on it, and goose-down pillows I think are too squishy but he won't part with them.'

'And why does this room make you feel comfortable?'

'Happy memories in there.' In her current state, she was unable to see the way Werner laughed a little and Esposito's cheeks coloured. 'He makes me feel beautiful.'

'He's a lucky man.'

Esposito link his hands together to help combat the itch he felt to go to her and take her hand. He could hear the softness in her voice she'd had after their second time together, when they'd finally made it into her bed, and he'd felt a moment of absolute perfection for the first time in his life. He sucked in a breath as Werner made notes on his pad and said, 'Meredeth, we're going to leave Javi's room and move to your aunt's house now.'

'No.' The voice was Meredeth's still, but painfully young and frightened. 'I don't want to. Bad memories.'

'Describe one to me.'

'I'm in the kitchen. Colby's there making cereal and asks if I want some. He passes me a bowl and Baby's in there. I scream and drop the bowl, and Colby's laughing at me.'

'What does Baby look like?'

'Costa Rican Zebra tarantula, about four inches across in size. Big, black, scary as fuck.' Meredeth clapped a hand to her mouth. 'I'm not supposed to swear. Uncle Mike says I have to put a dollar in the swear-jar.'

'I won't tell him. Can you think of your worst memory involving Baby for me?'

Meredeth's head began to turn side to side like she was looking around in a blind panic. 'No, please. Don't make me go in there.'

Esposito balled his hands into fists. His male instinct was to protect, to fix it, to make everything all better for her and take away that pain. The impotence he felt at knowing there was absolutely nothing he could do but watch her ride it out made him want to pound on something, so he settled for one of the throw pillows and beat his fists into it slowly and methodically.

'Meredeth, I know it's an awful place to go back to, but I'm here and so is Javi to help you get through this. We won't let anything happen to you.' Werner set aside his notepad, and simply spoke to her. 'I need you to tell me what happened.'

'April Fool's Day. I'm at my aunt's, and Colby told me she called. She wants one of my uncle's credit cards he left in his coat in the closet. He followed me to the closet, and shoved me inside, and...and...he put Baby on the floor and locked me inside. Oh, God! They're everywhere, they're everywhere! get them off me! Please, make them go away! Mom! Mommy, please make them go away!''

She'd started to cry, big fat tears rolling down her cheeks that made Esposito clench his jaw. In the just past two months they'd been together, he'd seen her have four brutal night terrors, and she'd told him about another three when they'd spent the night separately, but never once had he heard her cry for her mother. He suddenly felt nauseous with guilt at the night he'd told her he wanted to just sleep at home with his own things and the next morning she'd told him she'd had an episode. When he went to move off the couch, Werner sternly shook his head.

'Meredeth, I want you to listen closely. There is only one spider in the room with you.'

'Only one?'

'Yes. Is there a light switch in the closet?'

'No, it's outside.'

'I want you to put your hands on your arms.' Werner watched as she did so, hesitantly, knowing that the child Meredeth was in control at this point. 'What do you feel?'

'Me.'

'Are there any spiders?'

'No, but they might come back.'

'Remember what I said.'

Meredeth turned her head at the sound of the doctor's voice, asked it like a schoolgirl verifying her answer with the teacher. 'There's only one spider in here.'

'Right.'

'Okay. We're going to go back to Javi's room now, but you need to remember that. Say it with me.'

'There's only one spider.'

Esposito watched as he brought Meredeth back to herself, the same sleepy sexy woman who'd woken up in with him that morning, and eventually out of her trance. She gulped, breathed deeply as she looked around at them. Her eyes were dark and wide but clear, the same look she had as she came out of her episodes. When she turned to look at him, he nearly broke at the hopeful expression on face, as Werner made furious notes on his note pad.

'I'll give you two a few minutes,' he said in that same calm tone. Once the door to his private office was shut behind him, Esposito was off the couch and hauling Meredeth to her feet into his arms. The need to comfort her was overwhelming; relief was sweet as sugar when he felt her arms wrap around his waist and pulled him just as tightly against her. Her fingers were light on the back of his neck in that incongruously gentle gesture.

'It's okay, baby, I'm fine.'

'Mere.' He took her face into his hands, kissed her forehead; he didn't trust himself to touch his lips to hers, afraid Werner would come in to find them in a compromising position. 'I'm sorry.'

'For what?'

'I wasn't exactly supportive when you told me about this, and as much as it kills me, you need to do this.' It was a humbling admission for him to admit he'd been wrong, but there were times when being a real man meant swallowing pride and ego in one bitter gulp. 'I want to fix this for you but I can't. So I want you to see this guy as much as possible to help you.'

'Okay.' Meredeth held him close to her body, breathed deep so she could smell that delicious scent of him. It never failed to steady her when her nerves were on the edge of being shattered.

Werner came back in, saw them embracing, and cleared his throat to alert them to his presence. When they sat back down together, the romantic heart that beat beneath his placid demeanor turned a little mushy; seeing a couple so much in love was always a beautiful thing, even better when they were willing to be so mutually supportive by seeking helping for serious problems like the one Meredeth had.

He sat back down. 'I would consider this a very successful first session, Meredeth. I think over the course of the next eight weeks, we'll be able to eradicate these terrors altogether.'

'Really?' The hope in her voice was tentative. 'And that would mean no more nightmares?'

'Well, not these ones anyways. Can't guarantee it if you watch a scary movie or something.'

Esposito gave a low chuckle, thankful to laugh. 'She fell asleep watching _The Exorcist_ on Thanksgiving at our friend Castle's place and didn't budge.'

'There you go. I'll add my notes to her file, and be sure to let Dr Frederick know of our progress today.'

Meredeth stood up, purse in one hand as she shook the psychiatrist's. 'Thank you very much, Doctor. I'll see you next week.'

'You're very welcome. Detective, might I have a word in private?'

Esposito looked at Meredeth, who nodded. 'I'll meet you in the car.'

Once she'd left, Werner took off his glasses and removed his pocket handkerchief to rub away smudges on the lenses. 'Detective, I want to tell you how impressed I am with your support of your girlfriend. I know what it's like to watch the one you love suffer, believe me; I was my wife's birthing coach when she had all three of our daughters naturally, without drugs.'

'Ouch.'

'The point being, it's very difficult to watch them go through something like that, and it takes a lot of discipline not to interfere in the process. And a lot of love. I hope you two are together for a very long and joyful time.'

'Thanks, doc.'

Werner watched the young man leave his office, and let himself wonder for a moment how long it would be before his daughters were buying their Lady Hawk books from Mrs. Meredeth Esposito.

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	7. Click: December 14

'Babe, you're phone's ringing.'

Meredeth stuck her head out of the bathroom. 'Then answer it, please,' she hollered back at Esposito, her mouth full of toothpaste foam. She spat in the sink and was patting her mouth dry when he came to the door, dressed for work and holding her iPhone.

'Pay the finder's fee,' he told her, playfully holding it out of reach, pleased when she gave him a smacking kiss. 'It's Lanie.'

'Oh, okay.' Meredeth took her cell, swatted Esposito on the ass when he put his hands on her hips to pull her close. 'Bugger off, you.'

'Excuse me?'

'Sorry Lanie, not you, the idiot cop I spent the night with who seems to think putting his hands on me when I'm trying to take a call is funny.' Meredeth waved good-bye at him as he headed out the door of his apartment. She wandered into the kitchen to put her breakfast dishes in the sink, then over to watch early morning New York come to life. 'But he's gone off to fight crime for another day.'

'Ah, well, tell the idiot thanks again for the empanadas from his mother's bakery next time you hear from him. Certainly hit the spot better than the vending machine chemicals.'

'No problem. Anyways, I called to see if you were interested in a little Christmas shopping on your morning off. I've already picked up most of my gifts, but I could use some company to grab the last few things.' Meredeth plucked nervously at the belt of her robe. 'If not, I understand.'

'I do have some little paper things to do this morning, but I can swing a few hours this afternoon.'

'Perfect. I'll meet you at Penn Station around eleven.'

* * *

'Thanks again for inviting me, Mere. I don't usually get to do this a lot.'

'My pleasure.' Meredeth smiled as she wandered around the perfume counters at Macy's, Lanie in tow behind her. 'I called Honey-Milk to come with too, but she's down with a bug, so going anywhere beyond her bedroom or the bathroom is a gargantuan miracle, according to Ryan.'

'You think maybe it's a _morning_ bug?' Lanie asked with a little devilish tease in her voice, making Meredeth laugh.

'Maybe. Wouldn't that be fun, watching Ryan be a daddy-to-be? Oh, look.' Meredeth stopped in front of a display. 'Javi's be grumbling about finding new aftershave that his sister didn't pick out for him. Think he'd like this?'

'Men usually like to get that stuff out for themselves, from my experience.'

Meredeth shrugged. 'Just a thought.'

Lanie shook her head and laughed as they left cosmetics for men's wear. The girl had it bad for the detective, she thought, and it was something she hoped would last for a long time. She'd never seen Esposito so relaxed or so willing to take a joke from Ryan or Castle when it was Meredeth-related. It was a subtle transformation, one only those who knew him best - like Lanie - would pick up on. 'Tell me again why he's going to go so loopy over a bunch of shark dvds?'

'Not just shark dvds. An autographed copy of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week hosted by Craig Ferguson. I got them when I was in L.A. doing my press back in October, and I'm including a picture with Brian the Shark from the Late Late Show.'

'Right.' Lanie remembered how she joined her co-workers in invading Esposito's apartment when Meredeth's interview with the outrageous Scottish-American host had aired on CBS. Espsito and Meredeth had only been together maybe two or three weeks then, and they hadn't even met her yet. If Meredeth had gotten the gift then, maybe they'd all misjudged just how serious Esposito was about her from the get-go, Lanie herself included. 'I take it you two made up from the whole hypnotherapy fight? He told me,' she explained off of Meredeth's questioning glance.

'I wouldn't call that a fight. Disagreement sure, but we have those all the time. Now my friends Chin and her ex Beau, they would fight. Screaming matches, hairbrushes at ten paces, the works and it was not pretty.' Meredeth took a sweater off the rack. 'Ooh this is so soft and snuggly. You think he'd look better in the navy blue or the red? I think the blue. He's got plenty of red dress shirts, this is for at home in the winter, just relaxing.'

'But things are good now?'

'They didn't turn bad, if that's what you mean. We had a problem, we resolved it.'

Lanie set her lips in an impressed line. 'Wow. That's mature. I don't know of very many people who take that approach.'

'Well, the way I see it, between his job as a murder cop, my job writing drama, and the fact I have night terrors that's more than enough drama, so why waste time we spend with each other on more? I don't pretend we're perfect, because we're not. But we like each other enough that those little problems stay little and when something big needs to be dealt with, like my choice to do hypnotherapy, we talk about it.'

'Come on, let's go find something to drink and people-watch.'

* * *

Hours later, after Meredeth could all but hear her credit cards crying for a break, and Lanie had found a couple of necessary items for her work colleagues, they opted for a little cafe in Penn Station, as Meredeth was going to meet Esposito when he got off the metro and Lanie would hop on to head home once he'd met them. Though the booth was tiny and the overhead lights far too bright, the drinks were piping hot and generous in size.

'So, you excited for Christmas?'

'I am. We got the tree last weekend, at this farm just outside Scarsdale. Artie had a blast, chasing snowflakes and trying to figure out if the horses were other big dogs like him.'

'Sounds really sweet. You're doing Christmas at your new place then?'

'Yeah, we figured between the dog and the fact my place is a townhouse versus his broom closet, it'd just be easier, and besides...what?' Meredeth trailed off as Lanie chuckled into her peppermint hot chocolate.

'Nothing, it's just cute to see you're as much in love with him as he is with you.'

Meredeth stirred her green tea with steam milk. 'I do. I love him so much, it scares me,' she admitted. It was the first time she'd said it out loud to another person within earshot, and if Lanie of all people didn't understand confidentiality, who did? She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, under her toque. 'I never expected to feel this way about anyone in my life.'

'Have you told him yet?' Lanie anticipated the eager nod, the story to come spill out and actually felt her jaw drop open when instead the pretty writer shook her head. 'Are you freakin' kidding me? Why not?'

'We've only been together two and a half months, Lanie. And it's a big thing to say, a big step to take.'

'Both are very true, but serious, honey, it's very obvious how you two feel about each other, why not take the plunge and say it out loud to him? Oh!' Lanie crossed her legs and sat back when Meredeth remained silent. 'You've never said it to a guy before!'

'No I haven't. When I say to someone, I want to really mean, and I feel like with Javi, I-'

'Isn't that a Christmas picture, sugar and spice!' Ryan strolled up, smiling from ear to ear as he tucked his notebook in his pocket. 'Question is, which is which?'

'Why are you so chipper?' Meredeth tucked her bags a little father under the table so he wouldn't be tempted to snoop. 'You and Honey-Milk planning to play hide the candy-cane later?'

Ryan jammed his hands into his pockets. 'Don't I wish. She's still got that flu-bug, but more importantly, we're off shift on time and Esposito mentioned you two would be here, so I came with to pick up some chicken soup for the little woman.'

'Don't let Honey-Milk hear you call her that, she'll punch the stripes right off your candy cane.' Lanie pursed her lips as Esposito came up, warmly kissed Meredeth's cheek.

'Hello Detective. Bad weather out there?' Meredeth smiled as he sat down beside her, brushing at the lingering flakes of snow on his heavy leather overcoat.

'Getting that way. We could be lazy, take the subway the whole six blocks from here.'

'Lazy it is, as I have presents to slug home. No peeking,' she added, pointing a finger at Ryan, who'd returned with his wife's soup in a to-go bag. 'Yours and Mrs. Ryan's are in here too.'

'We should head out then, next train's in less than ten minutes.'

Meredeth beamed at him, and as they headed out, parcels in tow, Lanie shook her head. 'Think we've got another Castle and Beckett on our hands?'

'What do you mean?'

'Those two.' She drained her hot chocolate and jammed her winter hat on her head, adjusted her scarf. 'How long do you think it'll be before they finally gets some guts and drop the L-bomb on each other?'

'Not long.'

Lanie looked at Ryan. 'Why, what do you know?'

'My silence can't be bought.'

'Twelve of Guinness?'

'Well, why didn't you say the bribe of the day was fine Irish stout?' Ryan shifted the bag of take-out soup to his other hand, offered his arm to Lanie as they made their way to the uptown tracks. 'What would you like to know?'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy!_


	8. Click: December 23

It was two days before Christmas and now that he was off until the morning of the twenty-sixth, Esposito finally allowed himself to get into the full Christmas spirit. He'd managed to fit in a little gift-buying here and there on nights when Meredeth had reviews to cover, and had slowly accumulated a little mountain of gifts under the tree at Meredeth's Chelsea townhouse. He knew it was a big step to be celebrating a major holiday with his girlfriend when they'd been together not quite three months but it didn't feel so scary when he saw that she'd put an almost equal amount of packages under the tree with his name on them as well. It felt, as it always did with her, right.

Now came an equally important step for him - taking her to his parents' for Christmas dinner. He'd never brought a girlfriend home for Christmas, so taking Meredeth was a major statement to his family; of course, she didn't know that part, he didn't want to make her any more nervous than she already was. Despite having spent time with his sister, and visiting his mother's bakery, it was the first time she would be going to his parents'. She was plenty occupied by that, no matter how cool she tried to play it. He saw the extra fidgeting with her hair, her scarf, her keys; the last one never failed to make him a little nuts as there were few sounds that made him lose his mind like jangled keys.

He grasped her mittened hand in his leather gloved one. 'Don't be so twitchy. You've met them before.'

'Yeah, when there was a bunch of other people around to distract them.'

'They like you.' Esposito tugged her in for a kiss, glad he could make her mind melt a little as he heard that breathy little sigh in her throat. 'Believe me, you'd have known otherwise right away,' he added as he opened the door. 'Hello? Anyone home?'

A noise-bomb errupted as Lili and Rosalita both appeared in the front hallway wearing festive looking red sweaters and dark jeans; Rosalita wore a pink and yellow striped apron over hers. The condo smelled deliciously of roasted meat and spices as welcoming as a warm hug, which Meredeth got from both Esposito women.

'So good to see you, my dear!' Rosalita crowed as she pulled Meredeth tight against her. She shoved her back to arm's length, gave her the once over. 'You need to eat, you're losing weight since I last saw you.'

Meredeth bit her tongue to staunch the reply she was watching her weight. Instead, she braced herself for the onslaught of Lili and wasn't disappointed when the tiny woman snagged her around the waist, rocked back and forth.

'Oh, _hermano_, guess what! Cam's here!'

At this, Esposito's eyes went round. 'No shit! He's home?'

'Well, home for a couple of days. He leaves again on the twenty-eighth.' Lili twisted her wedding rings nervously. 'He'll be there for another five months.'

Meredeth looked around, hoping someone would explain when a blonde man strolled out from the kitchen with a glass of wine which he passed to Lili. He was shorter than Esposito, a bantam five-eight, but solid as a brick wall. He bro-dapped knuckles with Esposito before wrapping his hand around Lili's waist.

'This must be the infamous Meredeth I've heard so much about. Nurse Second-Lieutenant Cameron George,' he introduced himself with a grin and outstretched hand.

'Nice to meet you.'

'You seem like you got a good head on your shoulders from what Lili says, so what are you doing hanging around with this chump?' Cam gave Esposito a friendly shove in the shoulder.

'Well-'

'Is that Meredeth? Get in here, girl, Rosie says you're too skinny!'

The bellow came from the living room and Meredeth, having had Rosalita spirit her coat away along with the bag of gifts she'd brought, strolled in to see Alejandro Esposito seated on a comfortable-looking couch as _The Bells of St Mary_ flickered on the television screen. His large face with its deep-set brown eyes was split into a grin as he waved one of his dinner-plate sized hands in a 'come here' gesture. He gave her the once-over that last barely two seconds and snorted. 'She's right, you've lost weight. What's the matter, my boy start cooking for you and you lost your appetite?'

'Oh, no, sir, I'm just trying to watch what I eat right now.'

'Why? Christmas is for feasting and enjoying, not counting calories.'

'Papa, I told you,' Lili said in the same tone a thirteen year-old girl would use, 'Meredeth's going to be in _FHM_ and _Bombshell_, and she's doing the photo shoot in February.'

'Thank you, Foghorn Lili-horn,' Esposito said in a voice he hoped would clue his sister in to shut her trap. Much as he loved his only sibling, the girl had zero filter on her mouth. It was why she'd never been invited to plan surprise parties, or been told about engagements ahead of time as she couldn't keep the time of day to herself. He walked over to Meredeth, passed her a glass of wine he'd poured. 'It's a magazine that has models in tight clothes who tend to call women with nice figures like Meredeth 'plus-sized',' he explained off of Alejandro's questioning look.

'Ha!' Rosalita's oath rang out from the kitchen as she put the finishing touches on the roast pork. 'Lili showed me that magazine at the news-stand, and if you ask me, those girls are minus-sized. Real men like a beautiful woman with some meat on her bones. Speaking of which, dinner is ready so everyone go wash up.'

* * *

Meredeth wandered into the living room, rubbing a hand over her too-full stomach. Dinner had been an insanely delicious affair like she'd never tasted; all her Christmases had been full of roasted duck with gravy and potatoes, and apple-jelly donuts her grandmother made from scratch. Rosalita had served traditional Puerto-Rican cuisine including roasted pork, fried fish, yellow rice with ham, and bite-sized _pasteles_ - the calzone-like dish stuffed with raisins, plantains and bacon - all washed down with strong coffee, spiced coconut eggnog and sweet red 'plonk', so named for the sound the home-brewed wine made when it hit the glass.

She'd helped with the dishes despite Lili and Rosalita's protests, but Meredeth's conscience wouldn't have permitted her to sit idly by. Now that the task was finished, she'd taken her plonk into the living room and was looking at the various photos plastered on every available space. She zeroed in on one of a young boy at a beach-side picnic table taking a bite of a cheeseburger the same size as his head.

'That's me,' Esposito said behind her, as he walked up to give her a tight squeeze.

'Oh the belly.' But she tilted her head so her cheek brushed against his temple. 'And I knew it was you, hard to miss those ears.'

'I was about seven there, and I wanted the same burger my dad was eating. Took me nearly an hour to finish it, but by God, I was going to do it come hell or high tide.'

Lili stepped into the living room with a plate of post-dinner sweets, and just watched her brother and his girlfriend. They were already such a solid unit, having gone through things some didn't face in six months or a year. But more than that, it was in the little gestures - the way he'd passed her the pepper for her sweet potato and pumpkin soup when she'd only looked up and down the table, her hand on his when his face flushed fuschia as Lili told the story of little Javi and the goat, and now, the way his chin rested on her shoulder as he told her about the family history through pictures, the tilt of her head against his.

She cleared her throat and was almost sad to see them break apart at the noise. 'Dessert,' she said, setting the tray on the table, 'and present time. Javi, your hat's by the stockings.'

'Oh, sweet.' Esposito sat on the floor by the tree and Meredeth couldn't help but laugh as he donned a siren red cow-boy hat bedecked with silver garlands and a sprig of mistletoe on a bouncy spring at the front. He looked at her, flicked a finger under the brim as Lili knelt by the coffee table, shuffled a deck of cards. 'Care to help me, little lady?'

'Oh, I think you can rustle up those packages just fine, Cowboy Jose.'

Esposito grinned at her as the rest of the family assembled, and he divvied up the presents; he noted too the glint of surprise in Meredeth's eyes as she got her own little pile in front of her. A highest-hand round of poker determined who would go first, with the lucky duck being Rosalita.

'I think I want this one,' she said, picking up Meredeth's and ripping through the shiny green paper with the efficiency of the Tasmanian Devil on a caffeine high. 'Oh, Alejo, look at this picture frame. It's beautiful.'

'Javi said you take a lot of photos, so I thought a frame would be something you could use.'

Rosalita smiled, knowing exactly what picture she would put in there when the time was right. 'Well, then I think it should be your turn next.'

Meredeth picked out the gift bag with Rosalita and Alejandro's names on it, judged from the green tissue paper that it was a book of some kind. Her guess was accurate when she unwrapped a cook book of Puerto Rican dishes. She paged through it, saw the recipe for the heavenly pork roast they'd enjoyed, then froze when she saw there was a little note on the inside cover. _To Meredeth, Feliz Navidad from Mami and Papa Esposito._ Her fingers brushed over it as she felt her throat clog. 'It's wonderful,' she managed, afraid she'd embarrass herself. To her utter chagrin, two fat tears splattered onto the book.

'What is it?' Esposito felt his nerves go to jelly. He'd never seen her cry before, not when it was unrelated to one of her night terrors. He scooted closer, rubbed a supportive hand over her back as she pointed at the jotted inscription on the inside cover. 'Oh, Mami, that's perfect.'

'Is something wrong?' Rosalita looked worried.

'No, it's just I've never had a present from a mom and dad together.' She put her hand over Esposito's, which rested by her elbow. 'It's the sweetest thing I've ever received.'

'Say that again, once Javi figures out you can make _arepas de coco_ you'll want to beat her over the head with it,' Lili teased, hoping to bolster Meredeth's spirits. 'Who's next?'

* * *

By the time they arrived back at Meredeth's in Chelsea, Meredeth felt more than a little exhausted. She'd never felt more welcomed by a family in her life, and had never ached for her mother more. After the main presents, they'd also done small stockings, including one for Meredeth which had included a box of tea, refills for her fountain pen, and a jar of anatto oil to go with her new cookbook. It didn't help either that Rosalita had included some apple fritters amongst the sweets they snacked on; the simple consideration for her grandmother's tradition had almost made the waterworks start up again.

Now sitting in her new living room with her tree's lights twinkling, she sipped hot tea Esposito made for them as Arturo gnawed away on one of his Nyla-Bones; the sound was akin to a shovel being scraped over blacktop soundtracked by Harry Belafonte's Christmas album.

'That went pretty well,' she commented when Esposito sat on the couch at her feet, put them in his lap while he drank coffee with too much cream.

'Are you kidding? They loved you.' He didn't bother adding he was equally shocked when he saw the note on the inside of her cookbook from his parents. 'I think there's still one more gift for you, though.'

'Really? Between the book from them, and the iTunes card from Cam and your sister, and the little trinkets in the stocking they did for me, I don't know what else there would be.'

'All I know is Lili gave me this,' Esposito plucked the wrapped box from Meredeth's bag of loot and passed it to her, 'when you were in the bathroom and my parents had gone into the kitchen to make coffee.'

' "Mere, I got one of these at my bachelorette party and thought you might like to have one for you and Javi. Add to it as you like. Love Lili." 'Meredeth shook the present a little, surprised at the rattle from inside and wasted no time in shredding the paper to reveal a white plastic box with the words 'Toy Box' inside a red heart and underlined with three little x's. Intrigued, she lifted the lid; the burst of laughter escaped her lips in part amusement, part embarrassment. Inside was an assortment of massage oils, an artificial red rose, a variety of flavoured novelty condoms, a pair of naughty dice, some silk scarves, and a home-burned copy of _The Red Shoe Diaries_. 'Wow.'

'No wonder she wanted you to open that back here,' Esposito managed, his brain running rampant with a kaleidoscope of Meredeth-centric fantasies. He picked up the bottle of edible coconut massage oil, pursed his lips. 'This will make for a very merry Christmas, indeed.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	9. Click: December 24

It was Christmas Eve, in Meredeth's opinion the most magical day of the year. Everything was a little prettier, a little softer in the world, or at least in her world. Though it was her first one without Momo - she'd opted to stay in Miami until after the holiday rush and visit in mid-January - there was no lack of people in her house to celebrate with. She sat in the living room on the soft squishy sofa, reveling in the afterglow of a successful holiday party. Ryan and Honey-Milk had been the only ones who'd stayed for any length of time, as Ryan and Esposito had the same holiday schedule. They'd eaten a meal of appetizers - spinach and crab dips, Greek salad, meatballs, wontons and other assorted goodies, so much so that Meredeth had skipped out on dessert while they'd opened presents. Her instinct for good gift-giving had been bang-on again; Honey-Milk loved her easy-meals cookbook and had already earmarked a couple of recipes she'd try after the holidays and Ryan had loved his copy of Lego Star Wars for Wii - so much he'd gotten Meredeth the exact same game as her gift while Honey-Milk had given her mittens to match the scarf she'd knitted for Meredeth's birthday.

Esposito looked at his girlfriend, his Meredeth, with firelight flickering over her face as she watched the lights on the tree. She'd been so preoccupied with being a good hostess for their friends she hadn't touched a single one of the sweets she'd whipped up earlier in the day, and thankfully she hadn't noticed he hadn't touched much of the desserts either.

He had other ideas for dessert on this particular night.

With a practiced move, he stretched out beside her. 'Always fun to see Ryan and his lady together, outside of work.'

'I hope Honey-Milk feels better. Nothing worse than being sick during the holidays.'

'Speaking of which, why didn't you any of those squares you made? You're not still worried about the photo-shoot, are you?'

'I was surprisingly not in the mood for any sugar earlier, but...' she trailed off, turned her head to lay her lips against his cheek in a kiss that lingered like good wine. She was thankful they were alone now, the way that her man kept giving her _that_ look, the one that clearly said 'wait until I get you alone'. Her insides had went mushy when he'd grabbed her under the mistletoe in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room after dinner, and it made her wonder if they'd put to use the toy-box Lili had given them as a gift the day before. 'I could go for some dessert now.'

Esposito grinned; he'd been hoping she'd say that. 'Okay then.'

Taking her by the hand, he led her upstairs to the bedroom, pulled her close to kiss her sweetly, deeply. She made that little sound in her throat that drove him mad, a half-whimper, half-growl.

'In order for this to work,' he whispered, unfastening the button of his pants, pulling his shirt over his head, 'you need to be in as little clothing as possible. But not completely naked.'

Obliging him, she undressed slowly, tossing her clothes into the closet, unsnapping her bra and unconsciously running her hand in between her breasts; the little gesture made his mouth water.

'Stretch out on your back.'

Again she obliged him, too intrigued to do otherwise. What did he have planned? 'Are you going to, like, cover me with whipped cream or something?'

'Very close.' From the bedside table, Esposito pulled out a jar of chocolate sauce and a small, fine hair paint brush. 'And not cover so much as doodle.'

So saying, he straddled her and dipped the brush into the chocolate jar he'd unscrewed; using the sauce like watercolour paint he traced a small plus sign on her neck. He set the jar aside, and licked the chocolate off her neck; it made Meredeth laugh at first, then sigh in pleasure as she felt his lips brush against the spot where her pulse banged like a kettle drum. She felt her skin heat, arched her hips against his and realized in her distraction, he'd stripped down completely naked. The feeling of him at full attention made her purr; what was it about him that made her ache so badly? She knew she liked sex, but there was being healthy and then there was the raging beast that Esposito had awoken. Hooking a leg over his hip to pull him close, she ran her fingers down his back, whispering in his ear, 'Again.'

Esposito said nothing, just rose up on his knees and reached for the jar of chocolate. He traced the sauce like paint over the canvas of her body, between the valley of her breasts, over one nipple. Setting the jar aside he bent his head to her body, lapping up chocolate along with that sweet scent of her skin, before turning his attention to her breast. He suckled at her, the flavours of chocolate and Meredeth mingling on his tongue as she writhed beneath him in pleasure. It was one of the kinkiest moments of his life; he'd never been into stuff off the beaten sex-path but once again, something about her brought out the experimenter in him so that things he'd heard of and written off as strange now seemed not only intriguing but fun.

He could feel the wicked heat radiate from between her thighs and he forced himself to put his hands elsewhere on her body so he wouldn't rip off her panties and plunge himself inside her before he'd driven her into maddening ecstacy. When he felt her tense and tremble, he pulled away, let his hands roam down her torso to slide the silky black fabric down her legs. He reached once more for the chocolate; this time painting a single line of it on her inner thigh.

Meredeth fisted her hands in the sheets of his bed until her knuckles went white. She couldn't remember a time when she'd felt more treasured or erotic in her life. He kissed his way up her leg, moving closer and closer to the heat, his tongue smooth on her flesh until he finally reached that glorious sweet spot. She let out a gasp, felt her breath catch in her throat as frissons of delight swamped her system. His hands ran up and down the length of her thighs as she brushed her fingers over his hair, unable to stop the flow of breathy murmurs and pleas from escaping her mouth. When she felt him part the heated lips, drive his tongue inside her, she came in an avalanche of sensation, her moans louder than any she'd ever made with him.

Esposito fought to clear the fog from his brain that threatened to let him follow suit. His body vibrated with need, and before he could stop himself, he moved up her body and sank into her as he was, while she was still in the throes of the first orgasm. There was no sweet tenderness like there had been with the seduction; now there was only lust and the need to be inside her. He braced his hand behind her knee, drawing it towards her chest, each stroke met with a demand until finally, she cried out. She was so inflamed with desire, looked so damn sexy as it flooded through her body that Esposito had no choice but to let himself go inside her.

He lay there, his head on her breasts as he struggled for breath. Those long, clever fingers traced over the back of his neck, and he could hear her heart knocking away in double-time.

'Well, that certainly was good dessert,' she commented.

'I'll say.' Esposito turned his head so his chin rested against her breastbone, studied her face. She was absolutely stunning, those blue eyes heavy with smug satisfaction. 'You're not concerned we didn't-'

'No, I'm not. I trust you. Why do you think I didn't stop you?'

Her conviction was so strong in such simple words Esposito inched up her body to kiss her, realized too late she was still on his lips. He rubbed a hand over his mouth. 'Sorry. Forgot.'

'No, it's kinda hot.'

Esposito just stared at her with wonderment. 'I love you, Meredeth.'

She said nothing, just stared back at him as little tears sprang into her eyes. 'What?'

'I love you. God, I've wanted to say that for so long.' When she just continued to stare at him, Esposito swallowed thickly. It was too soon, he thought, in a panic; he'd scared her and now risked losing her. His thought died instantly when she pressed a desperate kiss to his mouth, trembling as she pressed her palms to the sides of his face.

'I love you too, Javi. I love you, so much.'

He sat up, pulled her up with him into a sitting position as he held her tightly against his body. She loved him, was all he could think, this beautiful intelligent, woman with all her quirks loved him. He ran his hands over her skin, making her shudder. Part of him wished they hadn't just finished making love so they could right now, so he could hear her say those words with him inside her. Instead, he rained kisses over her cheeks as he said again, and she said it back to him as she pulled him back down on top of her. They stayed there, still entwined, as the shadows of wind-blown snow danced through the window, over Meredeth's bed.

'I have an idea,' she murmured a little while later, 'why don't we get something to drink, and wait for Santa by the Christmas tree?'

'Not booze. Hot chocolate.'

'Hot chocolate?' she repeated, giggled when she saw the delight in his face and for a moment saw what he must have been like as a little boy during the holidays. 'Okay, hot chocolate it is. After.'

'After what?'

Meredeth only grinned, and grabbed the jar off the table. 'After I'm done with my turn.'

Esposito had to laugh; of course she'd want to return the loving, she always did. As he stretched out on his back, he watched her face, the way she kept trying to hide the outrageously happy grin. When she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, bit her lip as she winked at him, he only shook his head. Chocolatey-sex with his Meredeth - the woman he loved who loved him back - on December twenty-fourth; now that was his kind of Christmas miracle.

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy!_


	10. Click: December 25

The following morning Esposito awoke to the feeling of a cold wet nose on his back; twisting he saw Arturo standing beside the bed, a silly green bandana around his neck and reindeer antlers on his head.

'Poor guy, what'd Mere do to you?' 'Let's go find her, huh?'

They went downstairs to find Meredeth in the kitchen, brewing coffee and assembling a breakfast tray of croissants, jam, cheese and juice. She was wearing red and white striped pjs he assumed she'd put on when she'd gotten up since he knew they'd slept naked, too worn out after the chocolaty goodness they'd gotten up to the night before. An album of soft carols was on the stereo and she was humming along in her husky alto voice. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling at her neck. 'Merry Christmas, my love.'

A sweet thrill slid in her veins as she smiled, tilted her head to give him better access to her throat. 'Merry Christmas to you too, my love. Did you check the tree? Was Santa by sometime last night?'

'Yeah, and I think he got Arturo and Rudolph mixed up.'

Meredeth turned, saw Arturo send her a pitiful look; relenting she plucked the antlers off his head. 'Fine, I'll play nice.'

'What time is it, even?'

'Almost seven.'

'What?' Esposito's hands slid away from her body. 'That's insane!'

'I know, we slept so late for Christmas morning!'

'You're crazy, you know that? I love a crazy Dane.'

'And I love a cranky Puerto Rican. Grab your coffee, it's time for presents.'

Esposito followed her into the living room, saw there was now filled stockings under the tree in addition to the presents that were already there. The fire place was sputtering with soft orange flames to warm the cavernous room and outside big fat flakes were drifting slowly past the window. He saw the stocking with his name on it and took it with him over to the coffee table, then grinned when Meredeth came in with the tray.

'Looks like the big guy in red did make a stop last night.' He snagged a croissant, tore off a bite with his teeth. 'Who goes first, me or you?' he asked around his mouthful of pastry.

'Stockings don't matter. Dig in.'

They spent an hour digging out tiny wrapped packages, found handy everyday things inside like toothpaste and soap they could leave at each other's houses along with some other interesting bits.

'I don't even want to know where you got these,' Esposito laughed as he unwrapped a pair of dark blue silk boxers polka-dotted with little NYPD's, gold shields and number 12s. 'But if I ever lose my badge in a fire-fight, they'll come in handy.'

'As will this. I take it you liked when I went shopping there the last time?' Meredeth grinned at the Victoria Secret gift card.

'Nope. Hated it. Why do think I got you out of it as quickly as possible?'

Meredeth just shook her head, smeared jam on a croissant. 'Well, why don't we clean up this paper and start on those other ones?'

Ten minutes later, after taking Arturo outside for his business and refill the coffee pot for Esposito, they were back in front of the tree, cross-legged and ripping into wrapped parcels like children. Esposito went banana-sandwich for his autographed Shark Week DVDs, as Meredeth predicted he would; he got the last laugh though when he told her he was going to replace his picture of them on his desk in the bullpen with his new snap of Brian the Shark and her expression went from loving satisfaction to abject horror. He pulled her in for a small kiss, assured her he was kidding and that he loved watching her expressive face change so dramatically.

'Just for that,' she told him, 'I get two in a row,' and ripped the dancing-elf paper to ribbons, finding a hard-cover journal-like book. 'The Homemade Cookbook?'

'It's like a do-it-yourself book.'

'Isn't that how all cookbooks work?'

'No, see,' Esposito opened the cover, showed her the blank pages inside, 'it's for recording your own recipes that you come up with so you can keep them all in one place.'

Meredeth smiled, knowing she would use it in a matter of hours for making the gravy for their small Christmas turkey. She turned her attention to the other one, a smaller one; her stomach did a double bounce when she saw it was a little jewelery box. Lifting the lid, she felt her heart go to mush - inside were a pair of earrings shaped like the writer's plume on the chain around her neck. Without hesitating a nano-second, she fastened them to her ears and pulled her man in for an equally mushy kiss by his shirtfront. 'You're turn,' she said against his lips.

'Okay.' He picked a present up, shook it. 'It's not rattling so I'm assuming it's not chocolate.'

'You're never going to give that dream up, are you?'

'Never, but this is a damn good replacement.' Esposito pulled the kitten-soft cashmere sweater from the box. 'Oh, babe, this is beyond cool, this is, like, iced.'

'I know you like soft squishy sweaters for at home, so cashmere seemed to fit the bill. And, of course, it's blue.'

'Of course.' He picked up the nearest box, passed it to her. 'This kinda goes along with it.'

'Oh. Oh, wow.' Meredeth torn through the paper, lifted the lid on the box to find a silky kimono inside. It was the colour of good merlot, threaded with a pearly-pink and golden bamboo print. 'This is gorgeous, Javi, thank you.'

'I figure you can wear that after one of your coconut baths, then we get to the good-stuff and then I wear the sweater afterwards.'

She giggled at him, shook her head. 'Or I could greet you at the door wearing it, showing off my sexy legs.'

'Don't tease me like that, it's bad for my blood pressure.'

'Then open your last one.' Meredeth handed him a small box, nervously linked her fingers. 'I thought about giving you this for our one month, but it seemed a little early for it.'

Curious now, Esposito flipped open the lid on the jeweler's box he'd found underneath the festive paper. Inside was a gold tie-clip fashioned like a pair of handcuffs. 'It's gorgeous, Mere, just like you.'

'Aw, come here.' Meredeth pulled him in for a kiss, left her arm around his shoulders as she looked back at the tree. 'Happy Christmas, us.'

'Actually I think there is one more gift on the tree there.'

'Where?'

'There.' Esposito pointed vaguely, trying to hide the smile. He'd gotten up to use the bathroom in the night and sneaked downstairs as noiselessly as possible - not an easy feat to accomplish since Arturo was asleep in front of the fire place and always assumed whenever someone came in the room, it made him the center of attention.

'I don't...' Meredeth trailed off as she spotted a globe-shaped glass ornament twinkling against the lights she didn't recognize. Turning it in her hand, she saw it read 'From Me to You - 1st X-mas' in iridescent silver paint. She bit her lip as she felt tears spring to her eyes; holidays always brought out her sentimental side but this was the first time she'd really shared one with a man. A man who evidently believed, as did she, there would be many more Christmases together. 'It's wonderful.'

'I thought so too, it's why I made it.'

Meredeth turned to look at him, saw the bashful expression on his face. 'You made it?'

'Well, technically Honey-Milk did, but it was my idea. She's got better handwriting than me, she does all that calligraphy stuff.'

'No kidding. I could barely read my birthday card from you.' Meredeth let the globe hang loose on the branch again, sat back on her heels. 'Our first Christmas ornament.'

'For our first Christmas morning.'

'To be followed by our first Christmas dinner, which I need to put in the oven, so that means you are on paper clean-up.' Meredeth kissed his cheek. 'Bags are under the kitchen sink. I'm going to deal with the turkey.'

* * *

'Javi?'

'Wha-?' Esposito looked up from his generously heaped plate of Christmas dinner to see Meredeth looking at him with a mix of concern and impressed bafflement.

'Can you still breathe?'

'Whayamen?'

'Well, you just inhaled that turkey drumstick, I thought for a moment you were going to start breathing gravy.'

Esposito swallowed the mouthful of roasted meat, chased it with whipped potatoes. 'But it tastes good. Why shouldn't I eat up?'

'There's a difference between eating up and scarfing down like the bird might run away from you.'

He only laughed, reached for his wine. 'Maybe I'm eating quickly so we can get to dessert.'

'Aren't you supposed to wait an hour before that, you know, like with swimming?

'Not that kind. The chocolaty kind.'

'Given last night, that could still mean-' Meredeth was interrupted by the ringing phone; wiping her mouth with her napkin she answered. 'Happy Christmas, Momo.'

'Hello, _pige_, happy Christmas to you too. Was your man good to you?'

'Very, and I to him. How's Miami?'

'Rainy, but rain beats snow any day of the week.' There was the sound of movement on the line, a door being shut. 'Terrence just came in from walking that yappy little slipper he calls a dog. I keep trying to explain to him that your Arturo would make his Lorenzo into an hors-d'oeuvre but he insists it's a dog and not a rodent on steroids.'

Meredeth smiled at the mention of her grandmother's 'companion'; she refused to use the word 'boyfriend' though technically that's what he was. In Constance's mind, anyone who could claim Social Security didn't have boyfriends. 'We're just finishing dinner, Momo-'

'Oh, good, so your man, he's free to talk?'

'That depends if he's willing to part with his drumstick.' Meredeth held out the phone to Esposito, who gulped the last of his meal mightily. 'Momo wants to say hi. I have to go take Artie outside.'

A lick of panic coated his throat but he took the house phone, got up from his seat. 'Hello, Mrs. Dakkars, Merry Christmas.'

'Hello, Javier, it's nice to finally speak to you after hearing so many wonderful things about you.' Her English was lilting in a way that made Esposito think of crystal-clear mountain lakes and down-hill ski champions. 'And please call me Constance.'

'Okay, Constance, I am very happy with your granddaughter. I love her very much.'

'And you've told her?'

Esposito blushed, even though he knew she couldn't see him. 'Yeah, last night.'

'And she feels the same way?'

'Yeah. I'm a very lucky guy to have her in my life.'

'Good. That'll make it very easy to be friendly with you when I visit next month. Yes, yes, I'm coming. Javier, I have to go, but I'll see you bright and shiny on the sixteenth.'

Esposito hung up the phone, chuckled a little as he heard Meredeth come back in, the jingle of Arturo's tags as he shook himself and her low murmur as she spoke to him. When she came in the kitchen, she went to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

'How was your chat with Momo?'

'Good, she didn't dress me down like I thought she would.'

'Of course not.' Meredeth gave him a peck on the cheek. 'She'll save that for her visit.'

'I figured as much.'

'So did you two start telling Meredeth stories?'

'Nope, just told her how much I love you.'

Meredeth's heart glowed brightly. 'You did?'

'Yep, and that you love me back just as much.' Esposito wrapped his arms around her waist now, brushed his index finger down her lips before tasting them. 'Because it's the truth. I love you very much, Meredeth.'

'I love you very much too.' Meredeth slid her hands around to his stomach, up his chest before finally linking them behind his neck. 'Best Christmas ever.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	11. Click: January 16

'You nervous?'

'What makes you think I'm nervous?'

'Because you won't stop cracking your knuckles since we left the station.'

Esposito rolled his eyes as he walked towards the apartment building containing the crime scene with Beckett. 'I'm meeting Momo for the first time. She raised Meredeth after her mother died, and she's a retired litigator. You're damn right I'm nervous.'

Having his superior officer needling him was the last thing he needed at the moment, between the two-for-one murder they'd been called to barely fifteen minutes after they were on the roll and sifting through paper work needed for the upcoming Bodega stalker court date. Because he'd been so spoiled with good karma over the Christmas-New Year's holidays, Fate decided to dump that little treat into his lap into the same day of the week that Meredeth's grandmother was coming to visit for a week.

'Remind me again, why does Meredeth call her grandmother Momo?' Beckett badged the doorman, stepped onto the elevator for the eighth floor.

'The Danish word for maternal grandmother is _mormor_ so she shortens to Momo, like how Lex calls Martha 'Grams'.'

'Ah. You didn't want to take the day?'

'Work gives me something to keep me occupied so I don't lose my mind.'

They'd just stepped off the elevator when he heard his phone chirp Meredeth's monophonic 'Good Vibrations' ring-tone. He fished his cell from his pocket, saw it was a call. 'Hey, babe, don't have much time, I'm on my way to a scene.'

'Just want to let you know, Momo's gotten us reservations at the DeHeere Towers Grill on Broadway between Forty-Two and Forty-Three, seven thirty tonight.'

'Sounds great. I'll see you then.'

'Okay. Love you.'

'Love you too, Mere.' He hung up, caught the pursed-lipped look on Beckett's face; he'd known her long enough to know she was trying to hide a smile. 'What?'

'You guys are using the big L-word now? Took you long enough.' She turned into apartment 817, leaving Esposito to stew in his mild embarrassment. 'Officer, what do we have?'

* * *

He was late, which made him want to kick every possible ass in his way. The case they'd picked up that morning had given him a pots-and-pans headache, as both victims - one an up-and-coming theatre actress, the other her agent - had many people who wanted to see them strung up on the nearest lamp-post. Going through their agendas and contacts for information had been hellacious; it made him thankful he'd never been interested in dating an actress, not when they came with so much drama. Every answer to a simple question was a freakin' monologue like they were waiting for the director to yell 'Cut!'. And to boot, he'd had the rumour confirmed that the D.A.'s office would be subpoenaing his girlfriend as a witness; she'd be served with papers the following day.

He marched into the DeHeere Towers Grill well past eight o'clock, paused to straighten his tie and brush the snowflakes from his crew-cut in the polished glass of the lounge entrance. He hadn't had time to shave in the precinct locker room but he did splash on a little fresh aftershave and hoped it covered the worst of the winter-sweat and cop-shop smell.

Strolling up to the maitre d's podium, he greeted the well-dressed woman with a curt nod. 'Hi, I'm meeting my party here. Constance Dakkars and Meredeth Coleman.'

'Of course, right this way sir. I believe the table has already begun with the amuse-bouche course.'

He followed her, scanning the room until he saw his eyes land on his girlfriend and for a moment he just watched her. She'd swept her hair back from her face and could see the winking of the earrings he'd given her at Christmas. Her deep purple shirt made her rosy skin look even more fresh and ripe, and he could hear her rich laugh across the room. Beside her was a spry, wire-thin woman in her early-seventies. She had a cascade of silver-and-gold waves raining to her shoulders, vibrant blue eyes, and the same crinkle to her nose Meredeth got when she made her 'aw so cute' face.

The hostess let him pass, and he felt a little of his nerves subside when he saw Meredeth catch him approaching and her smile turned that shade softer for him. 'Hello, Detective.'

'I'm so sorry I'm late.' He leaned in to give her a kiss as was their habit, then straightened and went to the other side of the table and held out his hand. 'It's great to meet you, Mrs. Dakkars.'

'Javier, please.' Her voice was clear as spring water, with a musical Scandinavian lilt. 'What did I say back at Christmas?'

'Call you Constance, right. Slipped my mind.'

'It's alright, I'm just teasing you. Care for a drink?'

'Yeah.' Esposito took Meredeth's hand in his, squeezed it as Constance signaled the waiter. 'I got word from the DA's office. You are going to be subpoenaed for the Bodega stalker case.'

Meredeth blew out a breath, more of annoyance than anything else. 'Well, you figured as much and so did I. When?'

'Tomorrow. Come in to the precinct, Beckett and I will go over it with you, what you need to do before you talk to the ADA's office.'

'Okay. Now that we have business out of the way, can I tell you the super happy news?' Meredeth looked back to her grandmother as well. 'I wanted to wait until he got here, so don't box my ears for keeping secrets.'

'Rock my world, _pige_.'

'My agent, Robina, called me in for a meeting this morning, before I met you at LaGuardia, Momo. CBS has agreed to the option for the first Lady Hawk book, and they're going to make it a mini-series!'

Both Esposito and Constance let out happy cries, gave her kisses as the waiter returned with their drinks - a stiff martini for Constance, red wine for Meredeth and a spiced rum on the rocks with a twist for Esposito. They placed their orders for their meals, then toasted Meredeth's news. Esposito could tell from the little wink she gave him they'd celebrate good and proper when they turned in for the night. 'That's fantastic Mere.'

'So does this mean you'll have to be in California for production?'

'Nope, they've contracted a Manhattan based company, Elevation, for animation so it'll be produced right here in New York.' Meredeth patted his hand. 'Which brings me to part two, I have to go to Japan at the end of July, after Comic-Con. The National Commission for Literature is having their month long celebration, and they want me to do a nine-city to promote my graphic novel series.''

'So you'll be gone for a month?' Constance asked, sipping her martini. However much Meredeth was a grown woman, she was still her little _pige_ and she would always worry.

'Three weeks. Comic-Con is the nineteenth to the the twenty-second, and I have to be in Sapporo for the twenty-sixth.' Meredeth turned baleful eyes to Esposito who smiled warmly at her. 'I'm going to miss you.'

'Babe, you put up with me and my crazy hours being a cop. I'd be a real asshole if I didn't meet you in the middle when you have to be away for work too.'

'What a guy.' Meredeth rose from her chair, grabbed her purse. 'If you'll excuse me, I have to hit the ladies' before there's a between-meal rush of anorexic models hogging the stalls.'

Esposito watched her move through the crowd of tables, pouted a little at this news she'd given him. Three weeks to be away from his Meredeth sucked, but he understood that she had to go where people were reading her books. He thought of planning his vacation time so that they'd have quality one-on-one time before she had to leave, caught Constance surveying him over the rim of her glass.

'I know that look,' she told him. 'I saw it enough on my husband's face when I told him I had big cases coming up.'

'How did you balance it?'

'Little things. Making him a thermos of his favourite soup for lunch, a note on the dresser when I had to leave before he was even awake. And I always ended every phone conversation with telling him how much I loved him. He was a good man, flaws and all.'

'Well, no-one's perfect.'

Going with the opening he'd inadvertantly given her, Constance ran with it. 'Your parents what do they do?'

'My dad's a retired mechanical engineer from Statler Electric and my mother owns her own bakery in Spanish Harlem.'

'Siblings?'

'One sister, three years younger, works in accounting at the Waldorf-Astoria and she's married to a nurse in the USMC. He's only a few weeks back in Baghdad now.'

'I'll put him in my prayers. College?'

'No, ma'am, went from high school right into the police academy. Graduated top twenty-five of my class in ninety-five, and I've been a detective for the last eight.'

'So you're...' Constance did the mental math. 'Five years older than Meredeth?'

'Yes ma'am, I'll be thirty-seven on April twenty-fourth.'

'How many sexual partners?'

Esposito squirmed a little at her question. He'd already disclosed his magic number to Meredeth, and she to him; it was another thing altogether to be telling his girlfriend's grandmother. 'Meredeth is number eight.'

'So you've had your fun but you're not a whore. I like that, and I like you, so listen closely.' Constance leaned forward to emphasize her point. 'You hurt her and I will make you disappear. Believe me. I live in the heart of alligator country and the Mayor of New York's home number is number four on my speed dial. Clear?'

'Crystal.'

'Good. Now that I've finished scaring you, perhaps you can tell me your version of the story of when your friends visited and watched Meredeth on the television interviews?'

* * *

By the time they arrived back at the Chelsea townhouse for a nightcap, Esposito felt marginally more relieved. Constance had scared the piss out of him with her 'break her heart, I'll break your balls' speech but he also knew he'd gotten off easy with so small a speech. His own father had nearly made military nurse Cameron cry when they'd first met. But one look at Meredeth's face when she'd seen Constance and himself chatting and he knew he'd have endured far worse to make her smile like that again in a heartbeat.

Now back at the townhouse, she had taken her shoes off and was sitting on the floor scratching Arturo's belly like he was a meowing kitten instead of a galumphing monster of a dog.

'Such a good boy, Artie,' she crooned to him as his tail thumped against the floor in the living room. 'You ready for bed?'

The mixed-breed ears pricked up at the word and he raced for the stairs, looking back to see if Constance was coming. 'Well, I'm going to turn in, it's been a long day. And if you're going to celebrate Meredeth's success in a naked way, just please remember I am sharing a wall with the master bedroom.'

Esposito swallowed tightly as Constance went upstairs; when he was certain she was out of range he hissed at Meredeth, 'That's just creepy, your grandmother making comments like that about your private life.'

'Why? She was a hippie back in the sixties, totally engaged in the free-love lifestyle for a little while after college until she found her calling in the legal system.'

'Yeah, but...it's still weird.'

'You think your mother believes you're some snow-white virgin prince?' When he turned chalk white, then beat red, Meredeth let out a snorting giggle. 'Come on, babe, she probably was the one who put together the toy box for Lili's bachelorette party.'

'Oh, you're going to pay for that one.' Without another thought, he dug his fingers into her sides, making her shriek in eardrum shattering squeals. She wriggled like an eel as she fought to get breath in her lungs, sliding ass-first to the floor in front of the fireplace with his body pinning her to the ground. 'You give?'

'I-I-I-I-give!' she wheezed out; the first lungful of air burned like a shot of vodka but at least she could breathe again. 'That's so mean.'

'Me, mean? You're the one who put pictures of...oh, Jesus, I can't even say it. Nope, not going there.'

'And neither am I. But speaking of the toy box...' Meredeth kissed him seductively, whispered in his ear. 'Why don't we give that edible massage oil a try?'

Esposito only looked at her. 'I'll race you to the bedroom.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy!_


	12. Click: January 18

It was more than a little weird to go with him into the precinct the following morning, Meredeth thought. She'd been in the 21st precinct when she'd lived in Yorkville for researching the Lady Hawk novels but there was a difference between that and official police business, and there was most definitely a difference between police business and police business involving Esposito.

They rode the elevator to his floor and stepped off to a cacophony of voices, ringing phones and other incidental bangs and clangs. She felt her writer's radar begin to circle, plot forming in the recesses of her brain. The smell of burned coffee and too many people in too small a space, the dull industrial colours, the-

'Meredeth.'

She blinked, saw Beckett and another woman in a pressed grey suit standing beside her desk. Filing away the details she'd been tracking, she put her game face on. 'Morning, Beckett.'

'This is Adrianna Renault from the DA's office, she's taking statements on the Bodega stalker case, and she'll be preparing you for your court appearance, should it come to that.'

'Nice to meet you Meredeth.' Adrianna had aquatic blue eyes and well-tanned skin, and a handshake firm as iron. 'I thought you might be more comfortable talking here rather than my office. Mind if we snag a conference room, Kate?'

'Not at all.' Beckett pointed to one of the rooms on the other side of the wire-mesh wall. 'Just holler if you need anything.'

Meredeth went to step away from Esposito, the natural instinct to kiss him undermined by not wanting to embarrass him at work, but found her elbow caught in his hand and his lips pressed against hers in a quick peck on the lips before he headed to his desk. Fighting the blush that wanted to creep up her neck, she shouldered her bag and marched with her back ramrod straight after the sharp lawyer.

Esposito watched her go, admiring her courage. He remembered how furious she'd been when they'd arrested Raines, literally spitting mad she'd been so naive. Despite her tendency to be quippy, she would give the prosecution what they needed. Settling into his desk, he pulled up the information on the case they'd caught the day before and set about compiling information.

Two and a half hours later, while he was at the murder-board with Beckett constructing a timeline from statements, the unmistakable _tip-tap_ of stiletto heels echoed behind him on the floor. He turned, saw Adrianna heading for the break-room. 'Be right back,' he said hastily to Beckett as he took off for the break room as well.

'How it go?' he demanded as nonchalantly as possible; his tone made Adrianna smirk and shake head.

'At least let me get one mug of the infamous Richard-Castle-donated espresso machine coffee. The stuff back at my office is two steps up from swamp gas.'

She brewed an espresso, adding boiling water to it for an Americano before turning to Esposito and addressing his question. 'She handled herself well. Didn't embellish, didn't downplay, just told it straight, if a little shaky. She's anxious about doing things right, and still kicking her own ass she didn't pick up on there being something sinister about Raines.'

'I know, but that's Mere.'

'We should be done within the hour. There isn't a lot more I can do until we have a court date confirmed from Hathaway by next Monday.' Adrianna sipped. 'Oh my God, the rumours are true. Coffee that doesn't taste like it was filtered through a septic tank. This will go nicely with her cookies.'

Now Esposito's head snapped up as he made himself and Beckett straight black coffee, heavy on the cream in his. 'Cookies?'

'Yeah, she brought in cinnamon-pecans to snack on while we worked. You're very spoiled having a girlfriend who is such a good cook.'

'I didn't get cookies,' he groused, yanking open the refrigerator door to replace the cream. 'I sleep with her, and she didn't bring me any cookies.'

'Aw, poor Detective Esposito.' With that, Adrianna took her coffee and headed back to the conference room while a now very cranky Esposito went back to the murder board and glared at it so hard his fellow detective thought he might burn a hole in it.

'Problem?'

'No it's nothing.'

'Okay, then let's focus. Lanie's report puts the death of the actress, Simone Greer, at approximately ten last night, while the agent, Julia Thomas, was killed at shortly after midnight. Both were killed the same way, single slash to the throat with the same weapon, which means our killer did Greer, then laid in wait to do Thomas.'

'Security vid from the front door and elevator, plus the door man himself, says that whoever did it had to have used another door to leave because there's no one on the cameras coming or going between eleven forty-one and one-oh-three last night. Friggin' cookies.'

'Excuse me?' Beckett slanted her eyes sideways to Esposito, saw the grouchy expression he'd worn since returning from the break-room.

Not realizing he'd said that last bit aloud, he swiped the back of his hand across his mouth. 'Adrianna said Meredeth brought in cinnamon-pecans for them to snack on while they worked through the details of her deposition.'

'So? Meredeth's cookies are delicious and everyone knows Adrianna's got almost as big a weakness for baked goods as you do for chocolate.'

'Still, I think I should get some cookies, too. After all, I'm the one who-'

'Who what?' Amused at the little bit of levity on a Wednesday morning, Beckett turned to study her detective and saw he wasn't just cranky but actually pouting. 'You think because she keeps you warm at night that means you should get first crack at the Meredeth Bakery?'

'I'm just saying-'

'Hey, have you tried one of these?' Castle wandered up, half of a coaster-sized golden biscuit in one hand, a coffee in the other. 'Meredeth gave me one before she started up with Adrianna again. They are like round baked bites of heaven.'

Beckett took the cookie from his hand, and because she was in a mood to prove how childish Esposito was being, turned around and bit into it with gusto. 'Mmm-mmm. Now _that_ is a cinnamon-pecan done right. Want a bite?'

'You're mean, you know that? Pure evil, plain and simple. Besides, I don't even like pecans in my cookies.' He shoved off Beckett's desk, rolled up his sleeves as he stalked back to retrieve a file from his own. He was staring so hard at the paper, he didn't register the body standing beside him until a slim hand reached out and tapped his shoulder. 'For God's sakes, Beckett, enough! I don't' want the damn cookie!'

'Fine, then I'll take these home.'

The lidded Tupperware box slid into his field of vision, making him feel like an asshole. He turned to see Meredeth standing beside him, a curious look on her face. 'Sorry, Mere, didn't know it was you.'

'You really think I'd leave you out when I was baking yesterday? Such a man,' she chided him with such a sympathetically pitying voice he had to laugh at himself.

'Well Adrianna came in to the break-room bragging about your cinnamon-pecans.'

'Javi, I know you, you _loathe_ pecans. Which is why I made these.' She lifted the lid on the Tupperware, and bit back a laugh when she saw the look in his eyes; it was the same look he got when he was in the mood for some loving. 'I know my baby, babe.'

'Are those double chocolate walnut squishes?'

'Oh yah, but those aren't just chocolate chips. Those are chunked Valrhona sixty-one percent cocoa baker's squares in there, so-' Meredeth was cut off when he cupped the back of her neck and pulled her in for a fierce, quick kiss. 'Well, if that's what I get for cookies, maybe we should get a room for this.'

She reached in her bag, pulled out another two containers. 'Spinach salad with mandarins and blackberries, and turkey club on homemade ciabatta bread and with house-made roasted garlic mayonnaise.'

'When you say homemade-'

'I mean Momo and I had the breadmaker out yesterday and were baking up a storm,' she filled in for him, noting that Castle had wandered over to look at the goodies. 'No drooling on my plastic-ware, Castle.'

'Esposito, go take your ten-ninety-eight with Meredeth.' Beckett had seen the way his face had lit up, couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She wished she was a skilled enough cook to make Castle so unabashedly delighted with lunch.

'You sure?'

'Yeah, I'll buzz you if I need you back.'

* * *

They ate in the break-room, where Esposito discovered she'd also brought her delicious French onion dressing for the salad. He knew it was chauvinistic of him, but the fact that Meredeth was such a damn fine cook was one of the many reasons he loved her so much. He'd never been one to eat his vegetables properly, and being a cop meant you usually grabbed what was handy and easy to eat while multitasking in the car or at the desk. Since he'd began dating her, he'd brought his lunch of her leftovers with him, tucked one of her baked goods in his pockets if he was going into the field. He remembered the first time she'd cooked at his apartment, she'd made enough chilli to feed the precinct and her answer of 'just trust me' was certainly a head scratcher. The next morning he discovered she'd divided the pot into reusable plastic containers, even put some in the freezer so he'd have it to eat later; Esposito had gone home that night after shift and without thinking twice took out a container of chilli and zapped it in the microwave. Only when he'd sat down in front of his TV with it to watch the hockey game had he realized he'd been looking forward to eat more of Meredeth's chilli as the silver lining of a long day.

Across the table from him, she ate her own sandwich, caught a drip of mayo with her tongue.

'Are we feeling less like the last kid picked for kickball on the playground?' she asked, watching as he bit into the first of his cookies, his eyes rolling in epicurean delight. 'I'll take that as a yes. You going to share with the other kids?'

'Not on your life. Castle got a cookie before me, Beckett called me a suck and Ryan's not here, so that counts him out automatically.'

'Where's he at?'

'Baby-doc's with Honey-Milk. They're getting to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time today.' Esposito paused to think about sweet, baby-faced Kevin Ryan and his equally sweet, fresh-faced wife becoming parents. It still floored him the conception had occurred in Castle's upstairs bathroom, of all places, on Hallowe'en. 'He's so excited, Mere, you know he's already bought the fetus a birthday present?'

'Really?'

'Yeah, a little NYPD onsie that says _my heart belongs to a cop_.'

Meredeth pressed a hand to her mouth. 'That is adorable. How's Honey-Milk feeling? I haven't talked to her since New Years.'

'Tired but good. I was thinking,' he added, reaching in for another cookie, 'can we put them on the list for the book launch next week? We've been working like crazy and I think they could use a nice night out.'

'Oh yeah, I forgot to mention to you last night, they're on the list, along with Lanie and Castle and Beckett.' Meredeth paused. 'Are we going to talk about my deposition thing, or do you want to save that for later?'

'Later. I want to hear about it when we can actually discuss it, not in the-' he checked his watch '-four minutes I have left on my officially sanctioned break.'

'Fair enough.'

Esposito covered her hand, squeezed it reassuringly. 'Adrianna said you were a rock star, and I have every confidence you'll be a great witness on the stand.'

'I still feel so stupid, though. How could I not have seen it?'

'Meredeth, enough. Time to stop beating yourself up on that one.' Now his tone was stern. 'You can't carry that guilt with you. You told Beckett and I was standing right there when you gave your statement that you only saw him when you had a problem with your equipment. You keep feeling guilty, you start thinking you should be psychic, that's a sure-fire way to never let it go.'

'I know that. But if I hadn't written my stories-'

'Then he'd have found another excuse to kill people. Trust me, I read the psych diagnosis. But if you're still feeling bad about it, talk to Beckett and Castle. They went through this with his books last year, a kind of killing-in-the-name-of.'

Meredeth nodded, considered his advice. It did make sense, as they were another mystery writer and cop combo at the Twelfth. 'I might just do that.'

'Okay.' He started to say more, kept his mouth shut when Beckett walked in. 'What's up?'

'We might have caught a break. I'll meet you downstairs in the garage, two minutes.'

As his colleague left the room, he grabbed a napkin and folded it around two of the cookies. 'Put the box on my desk. Thanks for lunch, babe.' He kissed her, leaving behind chocolate crumbs at the corner of her mouth. 'I'll see you tonight at your place. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	13. Click: January 23

The snow was just beginning to fall as Meredeth arrived home, her newly styled hair protected under a loosely wrapped scarf. It was the big night, the night before her fifth Lady Hawk book would go on sale and the launch party would get underway in five hours time.

'Hello? Anyone here?'

She closed the front door behind her, heard the jungle of Arturo's tags as he trotted out from the kitchen, a green plastic ball in his mouth which he spat triumphantly at Meredeth's feet. As she had her garment bag in one hand and her purse in the other, she gave it a boot back towards the kitchen.

'What's this? I know I didn't buy you this. Has Momo been spoiling my boy? Huh?'

'That you, _pige?_' Constance's voice called from the kitchen; she appeared at the door of the kitchen wearing her apron. 'Took you long enough at the salon. We wondered if you were going to make it home in time for dinner.'

'We?'

'Yes, your man came here after he was done at the police station, and offered to give me a hand making _gule aerter_ before the big launch party tonight.'

'That's a risky proposition. He isn't exactly known for his culinary prowess.' Meredeth draped her garment bag over the banister of the stairs, followed Arturo into the kitchen and felt her heart squish like an overripe peach. Esposito had tied an apron around his waist and was dutifully stirring a pot with a long-handled wooden spoon. Tossing her purse and coat on the kitchen table, she shook her head. 'You're cooking? Shouldn't I be wearing haz-mat gear for that?'

'And how was your day, dear?' he asked her with a cheeky grin as she wrapped her arms around his waist, turning around to kiss her temple. 'Hair looks good.'

'Thanks. We'll have to eat quickly, because we've only got about two and a half hours before the limo picks us up.'

'I'm sorry I can't join you but an invitation to the Danish embassy isn't something I can turn down, my dears.' Constance came over to sniff the pot of soup Esposito was stirring. 'Smells great. Turn down the heat, I'll find dishes.'

'I'm so excited for tonight.' Meredeth kissed his cheek, and because Constance had her face in the cupboard, gave Esposito a quick tap on the ass. 'Cannot wait to see you in a suit.'

'You've seen me in a suit before, I wear them all the time to work.'

'But that's business, this is for fun.' Meredeth gave him one last nip on the cheek, eyes widening as she saw the bowls Constance had picked out to serve dinner in. 'Oh, Momo, no. I can't eat a bowl that size, I've finally lost the five pounds to fit into my dress. Even half of that will have me splitting my zipper.'

'Nonsense. You'll be fine.' Constance elbowed the happy couple out of her way to ladle fragrant soup into bowls. 'My _gule aerter_ never split anyone's dress, and you could do with a solid meal before we hit the town tonight.'

'Momo-'

'Meredeth Dakkars,' was all Constance said, and Esposito lifted his eyebrows as Meredeth took the bowl over to the table to sit and begin eating without another word. 'You too, handsome.'

'Yes ma'am.'

* * *

He could get used to this, Esposito thought, as the glossy black limo snaked its way through the streets to the Seventh Star Hotel where the launch party was being held. The limo had arrived in front of the townhouse like a sleek black boat. There had been champagne chilled along with fresh fruit and cheese trays in the mini-bar, and his lady was snugly wrapped in her thick blue suede, faux-fur lined winter-coat; with the tear-drop chandelier earrings winking by her jaw she looked like something from _Doctor Zhivago _or _Anna Karenena_.

'So when we get there, be prepared for your retinas to sizzle. There will be a lot of light-bulbs on the way in.'

'You mean the red carpet?'

'Well, technically it will be dark green but yes, that is what I mean. Also, only answer questions you feel comfortable answering. Reporters can be real nosy especially considering the fact they bay for details and never get them.'

The limo rolled to a stop and outside, she could see the throng of people. A quick text to her agent to let her know they'd arrived, and Meredeth turned her brilliant smile to him, gave him a long slow kiss. 'Ready for this?'

'Hell yeah.'

The door was opened for them and they stepped out to a sea of flashing bulbs and shouted questions. Looping her arm through his, Meredeth walked up the carpet, stopped to sign a few autographs and pose for a few pictures, even stop to talk to a few reporters along the way while he hung back or stayed by her side was was necessary. She felt her stomach bubble a little when she saw Adamo Gianni from E! News catch her eye and knew she wouldn't be able to escape it. 'Come on,' she murmured to Esposito.

They walked up to the slim, short Italian who reeked of California hair products and phony personality. When Meredeth had been in grade nine, he'd been Adam Johns in the senior class with every last scrap of clothing he owned imported by his grandparents' tailoring shop. 'Hello, Adamo.'

'Hello, lovely Meredeth. How are you this evening?'

'Very good thanks.'

'You look lovely, as always,' he complimented her, gesturing to her long warm coat. 'How thrilling must it be to be here tonight?'

'I am so excited that everyone has taken a liking to this story that I am writing, it's beyond my wildest dreams how popular it's become.'

'And can you tell us about those rumours circling that CBS has optioned the first of the series for a prime-time special?'

'Tonight I'm just here to celebrate book four with my boyfriend and friends.'

'Thank you, ciao bella.'

Meredeth managed to keep her eyes from rolling in her head, but just barely. His high-pitched voice hadn't become any less irritating with an affected European accent, but she knew snubbing him would have resulted in a complaining phone call from him to her agent the next morning, if not some time that evening.

Beside her, Esposito leaned in to look like he was giving her a kiss and whispered in her ear. 'What a twit.'

'No kidding. This last one should be a lot easier. Mitch Whalen from _Entertainment Weekly_, I know him. He's a real journalist, and doesn't have more mousse in his head than brains.'

Esposito watched her smile change to one of friendly familiarity as she spoke to Mitch, a wiry-looking English chap whose rumbling voice made him wonder if the reporter gargled rocks three times a day. This time Meredeth had actually stopped and paused to talk, and was slightly embarrassed when she tugged his hand forward so Mitch could directly pose a question at him.

'Your precinct has already gotten some press with the Richard Castle-Kate Beckett connection. Any chance we'll see a character based on you in the sixth Lady Hawk book?'

Esposito cleared his throat. 'Well, it's not due out until the end of August, so I suppose saying yes or no right now would be a really big spoiler, wouldn't it?'

'Big time, but her fans are forever trying to scoop details. Thanks again for your time Meredeth, I'll talk to you soon.'

'My pleasure. Mitch and I started together at _Critical Condition _at the same time, but he had already been blogging for two years before. He was barely there one television season before _EW_ snapped him up,' Meredeth explained as they made their way inside.

Once their coats had been checked, they made their way into the mid-sized ball room which had been decorated to resemble Gelberg City, the setting of the series. Scattered amongst the people already drinking and chatting were tables displaying the brightly designed novel. Before they could make their way to the bar to place a drink order, a woman with pin-straight blonde hair and keen grey eyes marched over to them, a half-drunk rusty nail in her hand.

'Merry-Cherry, you made it! Thank God, I don't think I could stand to listen to Henry Meyers talk about colour symbolism any longer.' She wrapped one arm around Meredeth's shoulders in a tight squeeze, turned to Esposito and held out her free hand. 'Robina Kelly-Cortoni, Meredeth's agent.'

Javier Esposito, Meredeth's boyfriend. Merry Cherry?' he commented, sliding his eyes to Meredeth, who blushed a little at the nickname. She would have said something but was steamrolled by Robina.

'Yes, I know, she hasn't stopped bubbling about you since Columbus Day. Did you see Adamo on your way in?'

'He got his requisite two lines, don't worry,' Meredeth reassured her. 'Is TJ here with you?'

'No he's with his father this weekend.' Robina's lip curled at the words, before explaining to Esposito, 'I'm recently separated. My son's father seemed to think I'd have no problem with him playing pop-goes-the-weasel with a paramedic in the back of his ambulance after shift.'

'That sucks, I'm sorry to hear that. Want a refill?' he asked, point to her now-empty drink glass.

'Oh, that'd be great, thanks. We'll meet you over by the Gelberg PD backdrop.'

'Got it.'

He disappeared into the crowd to the bar, and wasn't at all surprised to find Castle there too, a scotch neat in his hand and Ryan and Honey-Milk beside him, chatting to Constance. He ordered Robina's rusty nail and two beers for himself and Meredeth before turning to his friends. 'So Castle, is it weird to be at one of these things and not be the center of attention?'

'Kind of a relief actually, less stressful and more drinking time, with the added bonus of my favourite people in the world being here too, minus Martha and my child, and my girlfriend.'

'Where is everyone?'

'Beckett's at work, finishing up a case she caught at the end of shift, Alexis had Sloan's first show to attend and Mother has her first preview of _Insatiable_ tonight.'

'But we made it,' Honey-Milk said, sipping fizzy water and eyeing up the waiters like a shark hunting in open water. 'Where's the lady of the night?'

'Her agent dragged her off somewhere, I am on drinks detail,' he said, picking up his order and disappearing into the crowd, aiming for the backdrop Robina had told him to meet them at. Sure enough, he found Meredeth and Robina chatting with a dark-haired woman, and a ginger-headed man who looked vaguely familiar. 'Ladies, here's to your health.'

'This must be Javier we've heard so much about on your Twitter. I'm Maureen, and this is my husband Simon,' she said in a thick Scottish brogue.

'Lovely to meet you.' Esposito caught Meredeth taking an extra deep swallow of her beer, like she was trying to hold it down. 'You're fans of the book I take it?'

'Oh yeah, mate, take the whole thing with me when I'm on the road for work. Had to replace my copy of volume two after I forgot it in a Minneapolis airport,' Simon replied eagerly, his grin quick and friendly. 'You must be very proud of your girl.'

'I am. Never fails to amaze me just what she's got cooking in that brain of hers.'

'Well, don't let us keep you, dearie, there's going to be lots of people to talk to tonight. Cheery-bye.' Maureen nudged her husband along, and Meredeth counted to ten in her head before she cracked up laughing.

'You have no clue who that was, do you?' she chortled.

'Should I?'

'And you call yourself a detective.' Robina lowered her voice to a conspirator's murmur. 'That was Simon Pegg, you goon.'

Esposito could feel all the blood leave his face. He owned all of Simon Pegg's films, had even begged his cousin to let him take her kids to the matinee of _Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs_ so he wouldn't feel like an idiot going to see it in the theatres. 'What? No.'

'Oh yeah. They're both huge fans of the series and are being considered for minor roles in the cast.'

'Are you fucking serious? That was Simon Pegg. Simon. _Pegg_. As in Shaun of the Dead, Nicholas Angel, Beam-me-up Scotty Simon Pegg?'

'I'm afraid so.' Meredeth sipped her beer, eyes glittering with delight. 'Want me to haul him back so you can do a take-two on being a gushing fanboy?'

'No, no, just don't let me make an ass of myself the next celebrity we meet, okay?'

Meredeth just took another drink. This was going to be a fun night.

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy!_


	14. Click: January 30

Meredeth yawned hugely, the kind that made her jaw crack, as she walked up the stairs to Esposito's apartment. She was, in a word, exhausted. After only five hours of sleep, having taken Constance to the airport for the late red-eye to Miami, Meredeth had armed herself with a very large tea from Starbucks and all seven of her refills on her Bookworm 702 to brave a 12-hour autograph session at Heart's Castle, Manhattan's largest comic book store. They'd opened at seven am, two hours early, and closed at eight, an hour after regular business hours and given away 6 VIP sessions during the day from a draw. Thankfully, they'd all be like Alexis Castle - eager teens who wanted to know about the creation of the characters and not her personal life.

Now, tottering towards number 317 all she could think was 'pizza'. It was a ritual of hers - a stuffed-crust with prosciutto and provolone, courtesy of Petrelli's her favourite pizza-place after an autograph signing. Maybe, if she was lucky, Esposito had stopped to grab some beers on his way home from work. It was rare he was home before her, but since he'd finished working a double, he'd texted he would be home by six and detour to pick Artie up so she could spend the night worry free at his place.

She opened the door, lost in a fantasy of a hot bath, and was immediately hit with the smell of tomatoes and bread and oil. Looking around, she felt her heart turn into a gooey mess.

The table had been covered in a red and white checked cloth, upon which sat two green candles in clear glass votive holders. They flanked a chilling bottle of her favourite merlot and a single red rose sat in a beer-bottle vase. At the counter was Esposito in his sweats, a green apron tied around his waist as he chopped onions with a scary-big knife.

'Didn't expect to come home to Mr. Mom.'

Esposito glanced over his shoulder, and Meredeth could see he was wearing a swim-mask to avoid tears. 'I spent the day on paperwork and needed to do something with my hands, so I figure making you dinner would do the trick.' He set down the knife, shoved the mask to his forehead and gave her a kiss. 'Hello.'

'Hi.'

'Why don't you grab a bath while I finish this?'

'What is this?'

'A surprise.' Esposito adjusted the goggles back over his eyes, turned back to the onions. 'Shower first, surprise later.'

Too tired to question it she went into the bathroom and nearly wept when she saw the bath already drawn; she'd texted him to let him know she was on her way and he'd done that for her without a single hint. Stripped to her skin, Meredeth dipped a toe in to test, then slid the rest of her body, and let her mind drift. She could smell the bath oils she loved so much - the cucumber to relax her senses, the coconut to drive him wild. He had a thing for coconut.

Thirty minutes later, skin soft and pink from water so hot a lobster would say 'fuck this noise', she wrapped the towel around her hair as she grabbed Esposito's robe off the bathroom hook. It smelled like him, that honey-and-sandalwood scent that made her blood hum. She opened the bathroom door and immediately was hit with the scent of baked tomato sauce and cheese, heard the subtle pop of a wine-cork. So simple, yet so romantic, and so very them.

Esposito poured the merlot into the glasses, then adjusted the volume of the soft piano music he knew she'd love to go with their romantic night in. It was very rare for him to be able to find the time to do these things for her, and despite knowing she loved his little attentive details like when he picked up her favourite soda for no reason or the 'i love you' texts at random moments, when he had a free and clear field it was devoted to spoiling her rotten. He stood up when she came out in her comfies - black yoga pants and a loose Blackhawks t-shirt - and her hair was pulled back off her face so it fell into little waves on the back of her neck.

'Feel better?'

'Tremendously. So what is this surprise?'

Esposito grinned as he went into the kitchen and pulled the baking sheet from the oven. 'To start, garlic biscuits from Petrelli's, followed by provelone, onions, and prosciutto, just the way you like it. I'm not the best cook in the world but it's pretty hard to screw up pizza, not counting that incident in November.'

'Only you could make four-cheese taste like feet,' she laughed as he pulled out her chair for her and set the basket onto the table between them. 'Let me guess, dessert is strawberry cheesecake gelato?'

'Maybe?' Esposito shifted a little on his chair, bashful that his attempt to be romantic had been so transparent. He didn't have much time to feel bad, as she'd come around the table and given him a soft, slow kiss, the kind that made his blood sizzle with the promise of more than a kiss later in a hot tub, or the couch, or in one memorable night, up against his living room wall followed by the armchair and eventually his bed.

'You did good,' she murmured against his mouth, pulling him to his feet by the shirtfront. He'd done this for her, despite being ass-over-teakettle busy at work himself. Keeping her mouth on his she walked him back to the couch and tumbled him onto his back so she was sprawled over top of him.

'Aren't you hungry?'

'Starved.'

She pulled his t-shirt over his head, then hers, and Esposito's brain melt like sugar in water as he saw she had nothing but beautiful fragrant skin underneath. Running his hands over her stomach, her sides, up to the undersides of her breasts, he shifted so he sat upright on the couch with Meredeth in his lap, one leg on either side of his hips. He groaned lowly when she rocked forward, felt the blood zip into his lap as she braced her hands on the couch behind his head.

'I love it when you do that,' he murmured as he breathed deep the scent of her skin, thanking God for his creation of coconut soap.

'This?' She rocked forward again, a sly smile forming on her lips as she watched him close his eyes and groan again. It still amazed her, that her steady, sure cop surrendered under her touch. She put her head on his shoulder, turned so her lips lay against his throat to nibble at the pulse that was picking up tempo; his hands were giving her goosebumps as he took her chin in his fingers and pulled her mouth back up to his. This time it was his turn to give her an eye-crossing kiss, hands sliding down to her ass to pull her towards him; she gave a little sound of delight as that snug vee of her thighs bumped against the not-so-subtle erection underneath his sweats. The heat from her skin, the fragrance made his mouth water as he tugged on the band of her pants.

'Think we could do without these,' he told her, pouting a little when she scooted backwards to peel off the soft black fabric from her long legs. His eyes widened as he saw she also hadn't bothered with panties either. 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?'

'Maybe.'

Esposito only shook his head as he shifted his hips up to kick off his sweats, watched Meredeth lick her lips in anticipation. She came back to him, taking him in as she straddled him; it was unusual for it to be this quick, but that was part of his sexual appeal - always keeping things interesting. As she began to move on top of him, she felt his heart thunder under her hands, watched his head loll back against the couch as his eyes slammed shut; it made her feel so female and sexy that she could make him feel so alive.

He could feel it build inside him as she made that sexy little 'oh' with her lips, eyes half-closed as she pressed those curves against him, her body whipping up need inside him. Then, like a bad chestnut out of left field, his cell rang.

'Goddamn it.' His brain had gone fuzzy, but he had enough sense to look at the display before he took the call. 'It's Ryan.'

'Take it,' she told him, knowing it could be work related. She started to climb off his lap but he pressed his hand to the small of her back.

'No, don't move. Ryan somebody better be dead,' he told his partner when he answered the phone, stroking his fingers up and down Meredeth's back. 'Sorry, not tonight man.'

Meredeth had to hold back the laugh at his frustration. Since it obviously wasn't work related, she decided to have a little fun and began to grind her hips against him. His eyes zeroed in on her devilish grin as he felt his body begin to leave his mind behind.

'No, man, I'm not working. I have plans with Meredeth.'

'Tell him what our plans are,' she whispered, lowering her mouth to his earlobe and nipping at him. 'Tell him what we're doing...right...now.'

'Oh Jesus.' Esposito swore ripely as he tried to keep himself from popping too soon. The pace she'd set was tantalizing, tortorously slow, making his neurons sizzle and keeping up with Ryan's conversation almost impossible. 'For God's sakes Ryan, call Castle, I'm sure he'd love to go.'

'Give me that.' Without waiting for permission, she yanked the phone out of his hand. 'Ryan, we're a little busy right now. Go away.' She snapped the phone shut, tossed it onto the pile of clothes before fusing her mouth to his.

'You're bad,' he managed as she began to increase her speed.

'And you love me for it.'

'Hell yeah, I do.' Esposito gripped her hips as he felt her laugh; it dissolved into shudders as the orgasm erupted through her, his following close behind as she rode him with hard deliberate strokes. His head thumped back against the couch, chest heaving and Meredeth cuddling against him.

'May not last as long as a Jazz-Lakers game but it's a hell of a lot more fun.'

'And interactive.' Meredeth bit her lip as a thought passed through her brain. 'You don't think he knows he was interrupting, do you?'

'I don't know, he's pretty sharp. But then again, he had to have it pointed out to him by her co-worker that Honey-Milk was into him.'

'If you do tell him, just don't let it get around the station, like the Hallowe'en thing with Kate's costume, okay?'

'Fair enough.' He slapped her ass in a loving 'thanks for the great sex' way. 'Pizza should be ready now.'

* * *

The following morning Esposito stalked into the bullpen, homing in on Ryan like a heat seeking missile. Since his partner had his back to the elevator Esposito got the drop on him; even better, Ryan had his feet propped on his desk as he poured through a case file. Grabbing the back of his chair, Esposito tipped it backwards so Ryan was parallel to the floor and staring up into his face.

'Morning, bro.'

'Hi?' It came out as a tenative question. Ryan had seen that look before on his partner's face, the one that said someone was going to pay for their crimes. Taking his feet off his desk, he sat up and twisted around to look at Esposito. 'What crawled up your ass this morning?'

'More like what crawled in my ear last night.'

'Oh, yeah, sorry about that bro. Didn't know you had plans with Mere.' Ryan's face was bland as skim milk as he turned his attention back to his paperwork. 'You guys have a good night?'

_Not so fast Irish_, Esposito thought. 'Yeah, one you interrupted at a most inconvenient time. Emphasis on the _interrupted_, bro. As in, coppus interruptus.'

'What?'

He looked past his partner to see Castle walking off the elevator, folded his hands behind his head. 'Hey, Castle, what's 'coppus interruptus' mean to you?'

'Two people having sex are interrupted by a cop,' Castle replied without missing a beat. 'Why? Who'd you bust?'

Esposito folded his arms across his chest as the pen slid out of Ryan's hand to the floor, his face blanching white as flour. His smirk was barely contained when Ryan's head whipped up to stare mortified at him, over to Castle, then back to Esposito. 'Oh, dude.'

'Oh yeah.' Espsoito tried to hold it in, but found himself cracking up when Ryan thumped his forehead on the edge of his desk as Castle watched them in confusion.

'Clearly I missed something.'

'Meredeth and I were spending the night together, when Detective Ryan here called us to see if we wanted to catch a basketball game over at the bar.'

'So, you couldn't have-'

'Let me repeat that. Meredeth and I were spending the night _together_,' Esposito said again, emphasizing his words, and wasn't disappointed when they hit their mark. Castle's face split into a knowing grin as his shoulders began to shake with laughter.

'Oh, he didn't.'

'Oh he did.'

'Gentlemen!' Beckett's voice rang out as she walked off the elevator, stopped when she saw Esposito and Castle all but bent double, howling hysterically. 'Did I miss something?

'Nope, and neither did Ryan!' Castle managed, which set them both off again.

Muttering threats of recrimination under his breath and stalked off for coffee, Ryan left Beckett looking at her boyfriend and her detective for answers.

'Ryan made a rather ill-timed call to Esposito last night, when he was with Meredeth,' Castle explained as Esposito wiped tears of laughter off his face, 'and they weren't playing Halo, either.'

Beckett rolled her eyes. 'Grow up, you two. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner, the way you two are at it like rabbits. And besides,' she added with a twitch of a smirk, 'it's not like you've never done it to us, Esposito.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	15. Click: February 6

'Mere?'

'Mm?'

'I love you, but please stop.'

'What?'

Esposito propped himself on his elbow. 'Drumming your fingers. I had a very long day and my head is killing me.'

'Sorry, babe.' Meredeth dropped her hand from his headboard to her eyes, wondering if it would somehow trick her body into sleeping. 'I'm so nervous for tomorrow.'

'Why? You're hot you'll look great. Besides, I thought the hard part was the interview, and you did that last Friday.'

'Right.'

Dragging a hand over his face, Esposito tried very hard to not be irritated. The only thing he wanted was a little sleep after closing the Simone Greer case; dealing with his girlfriend all of a sudden becoming a bundle of nervous insecurity was a plot twist he didn't appreciate. 'Again, I love you but please stop.'

'You're still coming with me, right?'

'Yes, I am. Now try to sleep.'

The following morning Meredeth showered and dressed casually, barely speaking to Esposito which was fine by him, as he knew she was in such a mood that anything out of his mouth would be grounds for girl-freak-out and he hadn't banked the snooze-time to handle it just now. They made it to the studio over an hour before she had to be there, owing to Meredeth' unwavering belief that being less than fifteen minutes early to an appointment was just old-fashioned bad manners. It made him wonder how the hell she put up with the fact he'd often had to switch plans with her or been over forty-five minutes late for a night out because of his job. The fact she did made him love her all the more; coming with her on his only day off in a hellaciously busy week to help ease her anxiety was the least he could do.

When they stepped off the elevator into the studio, a silver-maned whip-thin man dressed in a black oxford and jeans approached her with a smile and outstretched arms.

'Hello, Miss Meredeth, my dear.'

'Good to see you again, Avery.'

'Punctual as always, trying to make the rest of us look bad,' he told her, kissing her cheeks in that European style before turning powdery-blue eyes avid with interest to Esposito. 'And you must be Detective Javier Esposito. She mentioned you'd be coming today. A lot of our models bring their partners with them to help relax. Meredeth Fatima is here already, why don't you go meet with her before Steph arrives?'

'Steph G or Steph A?'

'G, naturally. I refuse to bring Steph A back after what she did the last time we photographed you.'

Meredeth gave Esposito a quick kiss, bounded off to a side room, leaving him to follow the photographer over to the simple-white backdrop set. 'What happened the last time you photographed her?' he asked, as Avery checked his equipment.

'It was a disaster. You know the author's portrait on her third book?'

'The one on the leather sofa, in her jeans and bare feet.' Esposito knew the photo well, it was the on the book Lanie had shown him in the morgue when he'd been forced to cut his first date with Meredeth short. She looked intelligent yet sexy as hell, the kind of girl who would play chess against a man in La Perla lingerie. 'What about it?'

'Stephanie Abeille, one of the wardrobe co-ordinators I used on a regular basis for photographing authors, was fitting her for some clothes and told her to suck in her gut, no one likes a fattie in a photo. When she came out of the dressing room, I could see she was distressed, so we tried a couple of sitting shots, and Stephanie pipes up, thank god for Photo-shop, we'll be able to airbrush out all those rolls she's got.'

'That's disgusting. My Meredeth is gorgeous,' Esposito spat. 'I hope you canned her.'

'I did. Steph didn't seem to understand that her salary was coming from the people paying to be photographed, and that treating them with anything but respect might put her out of a job.'

'So what happened?'

'Well, needless to say, Meredeth's confidence went south, and she nearly called it a day there and I couldn't blame her in the slightest. She had booked me because she knows I have a good reputation with all models, not just the size zeroes and twos. We had a chat in my office, and agreed to use Steph A's assistant. Steph G made her look amazing and Steph A was never welcomed back here.'

'Good, because...' He trailed off as he saw the door Meredeth left through open again and she came into the room. His pulse pounded an extra hard three beats when he saw the dark jeans she wore along with the low-cut black top, showing off her beautiful breasts. She came up to him and the three inch stiletto boots she wore put her an inch taller than him. 'Holy shit.'

'Just thought I'd come out here, see what you think.'

'I seem to be lacking that skill right now.'

'Definitely a good sign. Oh, Avery, I have a mix of music in my bag, I'll bring it out for you when we're ready for the test shots.'

'Excellent.'

Fifteen minutes later, Meredeth was back from hair and makeup, and Esposito thought he might pass out. They'd left her face its natural rosy colour but darkened her lips to a bold crimson so her blue eyes popped against the richness; her eyes themselves were lined with silver instead of black so they looked even bluer under the frame of her long black lashes. Before Avery could start his work, Esposito took Meredeth's hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. 'Kill it, baby.'

Meredeth bit her lip as she winked at him as he stepped back out of camera range, then gave her attention to Avery. 'I'm ready.'

Avery used a remote to fire up his stereo and the razor-edged guitars of 'Black Betty' poured from the hidden speakers. From behind Avery, Esposito watched with fascination as Meredeth focused on his face as if she were posing in her bedroom just for him instead of a SoHo studio. He was glad he'd come, that his being there put her at ease with showing off what she often thought was an imperfect body. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he actually crossed his fingers and prayed that seeing the photos would remind her no matter how often she call her curves 'the flub', she was a knockout.

When Avery stopped the music, nodded at Meredeth, she crossed to Esposito and gave him a kiss on the lips. 'How'd I look?' she asked, looping her arm through his so he walked with her towards a desk upon which sat a nifty iMac while Avery popped the card out of his camera.

'I think I'll have to beat off the guys who are going to be hitting on you when that magazine hits the press.'

Meredeth drank deeply from a bottle of water Avery passed her as he sat down and loaded the pictures onto the computer. A few key strokes later and she let out a gasp. 'Oh my god. That's me? I look so hot!'

'I told you,' Esposito said, giving her knee a quick, supportive squeeze as he watched her marvel at the photos.

'I've had a thought,' Avery said in a contemplative voice. 'Javier, would you like to be in a few of these pictures with her?'

'What?'

Avery pulled up photos from another shoot. 'This was a Valentine's Day gift this couple gave each other last year. I think you two would look absolutely stunning in a shoot of this style. Cream and caramel, as it were.''

Esposito looked at the photo. The couple were both topless and wearing jeans, with the man's arms around the woman so her breasts were covered but the curve and cleavage of them was still visible while her hands rested against the tops of his thighs. It was a beautiful show of unity and intimacy.

'What do you think babe?' Meredeth turned to her boyfriend, and saw that sparkle in his eye, the kind he got when he saw her pour coconut bubble-bath into the tub. 'You want to?'

'Why not? If they turn out well, you'll be every guy's fantasy girl. If not, we'll just put them in the toy box,' he concluded with a wiggle of eyebrows, making Meredeth laugh.

'Excellent.' Avery closed the file, rose from his chair. 'Javier, we'll send you into make-up, and I'd like to put you in black jeans so you'll match Meredeth. Steph G will get you set up.'

Twenty minutes later, Esposito came out of the dressing room wearing a light robe over the pants Steph G had selected for him. His ego had fluttered happily when the young wardrobe director got a glazed look in her eyes as he'd taken off his shirt, followed by an 'easy, girl' from Meredeth who laughed at Steph's lack of subtly. Now, he could see Meredeth in black jeans and a strapless bra waiting by the set, and he crossed to her, gave her a hug from behind.

'You know how much flak I'm going to take at work if this is in the magazine?'

'No worse than the guys at the station, would give you if it was just me.' Meredeth linked her fingers through his hand, then turned to face him. 'You know that I will be partly showing off the twins when we have to change poses, right?'

'No, showing off the twins would be doing a topless cha-cha shimmy at Avery and saying, these are real, see for yourself.'

'Meredeth, Javier, we're all set here.'

'Time to get somewhat naked,' she laughed; it turned into a little wolf whistle of appreciation when he tossed the robe aside and his solid body was hers for the oggling. He was so golden, so warm, like cinammon - sweet and warm and yet spicy and fiery at the same time. Reaching behind her back, she flipped open the hook-and-eyes, held her forearm across her breasts as much to keep them from bouncing around as for modesty as they walked in front of the marbled grey backdrop. Ever the professional, Avery looked at Meredeth's face and not her boobs when he helped pose the two of them, nodding his approval and smiling warmly when he began snapping the frames.

'Okay, I want to try another one.' Avery left his camera on a nearby table, walked over to them. 'Meredeth, you stay there, and then Javier, you come over here, face to face, and hold her hands,' he explained, putting a soft R&B song on his stereo to help his spontaneous model relax a little more.

Meredeth squeezed his hands tightly, whispered to him, 'Pretend we're in my living room, drinking wine, contemplating moving into the bedroom.'

Esposito forgot the photographer's directions, and taking Meredeth's hands, pulled her into his arms. Without realizing it, he began to sway a little in time with the music as her palms rested on his shoulder blades. Because she was in her flat feet, he could bump his forehead against hers, breathe deeply and take her in. When he felt her hand on his cheek he opened his eyes to see her looking at him, and putting the tip of his index finger under her chin, tilt her face up so her lips were a whisper from his.

This was his magic, ahe thought, this ability he had to put her so at ease when she was so far out of her comfort zone. The tender support from the simple feel of his body against hers, the look on his face as she stared into his eyes was more empowering than any words he could have said to her. For a brief moment, she wondered what it'd be like to dance with him like this on their wedding night, minus the photographer being paid to shoot them.

As the song ended, Avery took his last shot, and cleared his throat. He felt strangely intrusive, hating to break up such a tender moment. Discreetly he left his camera on the tripod to busy himself at his computer but saw out of the corner of his eye the loving, intimate kiss they shared before heading to the dressing rooms. When they came out some ten minutes later, he smiled at the couple as they pulled up chairs beside him. 'Well, what do you think, Meredeth?' he asked, taking the memory chip out of his camera and returning to his computer with the couple following him. 'Ready to give up breaking stories and break hearts instead?'

'Not on your life. But that...' Meredeth trailed off as she looked at the photos now on-screen, zeroed in on the one before . 'That's so beautiful.'

Esposito could only nod in agreement; he was floored by how they looked together. There was heat, certainly, in the way they locked their gaze with each other, but there was tenderness and intimacy. A brush of a hand, a tilt of the head was all it took to see how much he loved her, and how she loved him back. It would be a great contrast to the sex-bomb look she'd photographed in the first two rounds.

The whirring of a printer brought him out of his zone, saw that Avery was printing several of the shots and passed them to him. 'Take these with you, use them to make your friends jealous. You could put one on your desk, even.'

'Good idea but working in a police station, you don't exactly get a lot of privacy in your office. Speaking of which, why weren't there any entertainment types with their vid-cams here?'

'I have a very strict closed-set policy. We don't even have Internet here, so no risk of hacking in to steal or leak photos.' Avery glanced at his watch. 'And if you'll excuse me, I must tear down your set before my two o'clock arrives.'

'I'll be sure to buy every last copy when this comes out.' Meredeth shook his hand. 'Thanks again, Avery.'

'Anytime, Miss Meredeth.'

Once back on the elevator and heading for the garage, Meredeth turned to Esposito. 'Thanks again for coming with.' She leaned in for a kiss, gave him a questioning look when he cocked his eyebrow at her. 'I know that look. You're scheming.'

'I'm thinking...we should have our own little photo shoot when we get back to my place.'

_

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!_


	16. Click: February 14

_Hello faithful readers, one and all! This is the Valentine's chapter and it is one of the raciest NSFW type chapters I've written for these two, but in the context of hearts-day it works. I also realize it's very to the 'coppus interruptus' chapter but then again, Cake Crumbs' x-rated chapters were back-to-back so I figure we're in the clear here. As always review and spread the word!_

* * *

Valentine's Day, in Esposito's mind, was the most absurd of all holidays and not because of its commercialism. True, Hallowe'en and Christmas were commercial, hell even July Fourth was more about people getting loaded and setting off fireworks than remembering the struggle for political self-governance. But February the fourteenth was its own special brand of hell - it made singletons feel like worthless unattractive losers and stressed out the coupled-up over what kind of gift would send the right message to their other halves, all in the name of love. It wasn't even that he'd been a bitter single man who now saw the world through rose-tinted new-love glasses; he just thought it was really stupid that there was this day set aside that was supposed to mean more than others.

On the other hand, it was a day he could use to spoil his girlfriend rotten. Meredeth had become his constant, her unwavering love getting him through the long hours of a stakeout or the unending hell of paperwork. On the occasions when he'd gone in to take down suspects, his fierce determination to do his job was now coupled with the motivation of making sure he got home safely to his girl, and for that, he would buy her the world. Even better, he knew it was the one holiday where Meredeth wouldn't forgo his chocolate in favour of other gifts. Hell, if he played his cards right they could have a repeat of Christmas Eve; he might even get to turn her into his own person graham cracker and lick chocolate off her-

'Yo, Esposito, big plans tonight bro?'

He looked up to see Ryan strolling through the bullpen with Beckett hot on his heels. 'What's it to you?'

'Just wondering what you've got in store for your lady. Beckett here's got a limo waiting downstairs for her, courtesy of one Richard Castle.'

'Why are you so damned chipper, Ryan?' Beckett rolled her eyes as she slumped into her chair, forced the giddy blush to stay out of her face. A _limo_ for Jesus' sakes. Castle had sent a limo to pick her up. 'It's not like you can get your wife liquored up and take advantage of her.'

Ryan glanced over his shoulder at Beckett, then pulled his chair around the desk so he was sitting beside his partner. 'Between you and me, bro, I'll be lucky if I can still walk tomorrow,' he murmured. 'Jenny's got that whole second trimester hormones thing happening right now. Best I've ever had.'

'Don't make me hit you, man. I don't need to think about you and your lady getting all freaky.'

'Oh, relax, bro.' Ryan slapped Esposito twice on the shoulder. 'It's not like my Honey-Milk got pregnant by magic. And at risk of repeating myself, any big plans tonight?'

'Wouldn't you like to know? Better yet,' he added, picking his coat off the back of his chair, 'why don't you call and I'll tell you how my night's going, since that worked so well for you the last time.'

Ryan only swallowed as he remembered the embarrassing realization his innocuous phone invite for beer and west-coast basketball had literally interrupted his partner's sexy time with his smoking hot girlfriend. 'See ya in the morning.'

When he got to Meredeth's townhouse, the first thing Esposito noticed was Arturo didn't run to greet him at the door. _Weird_, he thought, but paid little mind as he stripped off his coat and hung his keys on the hook by the light switch. Glancing around he saw the entire first floor was dark, except for a little bit of light in the kitchen. With careful steps he made it there unharmed, and felt his blood drain completely out of his head and into his loins.

Meredeth was in the kitchen alright, standing at the table in needle thin high heels and a black satin apron that left very little to the imagination. She had a silver martini shaker in her hands and the rapid movement of her arms made her breasts jiggle like fresh Jell-O, making his mouth water.

'Welcome home, dear,' she purred, pouring the drink and strutting over to hand it to him.

'What's all this?'

'Since it is Valentine's Day and all, I figured we could use it as an excuse to have very...hot...dirty...sex,' she told him, punctuating each word with a sticky kiss. She held up the martini glass, sipped delicately. 'Thirsty?'

'It can wait.' How she managed to do that, get him stirred up with just a few kisses, was still a mystery to him, one he intended on taking his time to solve. He put his hands on her waist, ran them over her ass and was surprised when he hit soft skin instead of anticipated lace or silk. 'Are you naked under this thing?'

'Why don't you find out?'

Grinning, he ran his hands up her back as she slid loose the knot of his tie and looped it behind his neck to pull him in for a kiss. His tongue tangled with hers while she fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. Then, without warning, she stopped.

'As much as repeating our first time together would be fun, I have something even better planned.'

'I don't know Mere, first time on your kitchen floor was pretty smokin'.'

'Just come with me.' Kicking off her heels, she took his hand and padded into the living room where she used the remote to turn on the fireplace. As the dancing orange flames flickered shadows over the walls, he could see it now - she'd put the tulips he'd sent to her in a crystal vase in the center of the table, where there was a wrapped package on the table along with a few condoms. A bottle of wine was chilling in an ice-bucket, beside which were two glasses. On the floor in front of the fire-place was an honest-to-goodness bearskin rug, minus the grotesquely creepy head. 'I booked us a weekend at a getaway cabin outside the city but when you caught that case earlier in the week, I canceled it and brought the cabin here.'

'Oh, Mere.' Humbled, Esposito finished stripping off his shirt and tossed it on the couch. 'You did that for us?'

'Yeah. I thought we work hard, we should play hard.'

'If you'd told me I'd have booked a half-vacation day, so we could have gone.'

'No, I want you to save your vacation days for places like San Francisco and Miami. Valentine's Day is just a day, albeit one when you know you're going to get sex and chocolate.'

He took her in his arms, touched at her sweetness and her humour. 'You really are the best girlfriend in the world.'

'And what if I got you porn for Valentine's?'

'Then you'd be the best girlfriend of life.' He waited a beat. 'Did you?'

'In a manner of speaking.' With that, Meredeth ran her hands down his stomach to his belt, slithered it out of the loops and tossed it over his shoulder before reaching for a small remote off the coffee table. 'Take a look.'

Esposito craned his neck and saw, to his darkly delighted surprise, she'd set up a video camera on the fireplace mantle, set to record from a bird's-eye view. That she'd had the idea to tape them making love was brutally arousing; pulling her close he untied the strings at the back of her neck, let the top of her sexy kitchen-wear fall to her waist and give him an eyeful of her gorgeous breasts. He wanted nothing more than to just rock a motorboat on them, but that could wait for later. Instead he traced the tip of his index finger down her spine, making her shiver, her nipples going hard as diamonds against his body until he hit her waist and untied the next set of satin strings as she fumbled at his zipper. The black satin fell to the floor between them; as the ability to stand was eluding him more and more, Esposito held onto Meredeth's waist and sank to his knees, bringing her with him onto the rug, his mouth greedy and intense on hers.

Meredeth let her head fall back as he trailed lingering kisses down her throat, flicking the tip of his tongue over the pulse point just below her jaw, making her gasp in delight. Impatient, she shoved at his pants and boxers, the seconds it took him to strip the rest of the way naked interminable. He came back to her, pressing his hips tightly against hers as he kissed her again. The gold cross he'd taken to wearing - a gift from his sister at Christmas - glinted in the firelight and Meredeth twisted the chain around her fingers.

'Javi,' she murmured, 'don't hold back.'

'What?'

'Don't hold back,' she repeated. 'This first round isn't about making love.'

Esposito gave a low chuckle; he knew exactly what she was in the mood for. With one greedy move, he pulled at the satin g-string she wore, the delicate fabric tearing in his hands before he plunged his fingers inside her; she was already wet for him. Shock, decadent and instant, galloped over her face as her eyes closed and she let out a low, throaty moan; her back arched off the floor and he took one breast in his mouth as his fingers continued to stroke her furiously.

Meredeth thought she might lose her mind as he all but devoured her. Every nerve ending was white hot with want, awakened and greedy for him. She bent her knee up towards her chest so as to give him better access as the orgasm rolled through her like a summer storm. He was so good at this, at knowing just what she wanted, what she needed.

'Come on, big guy,' she purred at him, licking her lips in anticipation, heart thundering wildly in her chest as she braced her body for what she knew was coming, . Then, without warning, he sat up and pulled her with him so they were kneeling face to face on the rug. 'What-'

'Turn around,' he managed; when she complied and he'd outfitted himself with one of the condoms, he held her tight against him with one hand low on her belly and the other between her breasts. With his mouth near her ear, he kissed her neck and whispered, 'I want to hear you say it.'

'What?'

'You know what.' He shifted her thighs apart so the hard length of him rested against her. 'I want to hear the words from your lips.'

When he slid the hand on her belly down to that sweet, sensitive trigger and rubbed it with the pad of his thumb, she cried out. 'Fuck me. Please, Javi, fuck me.'

He would take her at her word. He bent her foward ever so slightly, and pushed himself inside her, blood rushing in his veins like fire as he heard her sob out his name again and again with each thrust. So passionate was their motion that she had to braced one hand against the coffee table, the other clutching at the hand he kept on her stomach. He held her close as he felt the shudders begin to rack her body and taking a fistful of her hair, pulled her head back so he could ravage her mouth as she came. As she went limp in his arms, he kept his pace consistent and drove her into near madness a second time until finally, his body gave way to glorious release, her mouth swallowing his moan.

Spent, they dropped to the carpet, sprawled face down as they fought for breath. Somehow Esposito shifted to his side, rolled Meredeth with him so he was spooned up against her. He gave her shoulder a kiss as he ran his hand over the curve of her hip as she gave a low chuckle.

'I have two words for that,' she wheezed out, 'mission accomplished.'

'Amen.'

'I didn't think we'd get to that until after you opened your present.'

'Is it the really big Hershey bar?' When he saw her blush and crinkle he nose, he propped himself on his elbow to study her face. 'No way, you got it?'

'Not the monster sized one, but yes, you got your really big Hershey bar because I love you, you choco-holic. The other gift is one of the photos we took together last week framed, so you could put it in your apartment.'

'Well then.' With a newfound reserve of energy, he got to his feet leaving Meredeth to wonder where he'd gone. He returned a few minutes later with the kimono he'd given her for Christmas and a sparkly pink bag. 'I think you'll get a kick out of this.'

Meredeth pulled white tissue paper out of the bag, unwrapped the squishy parcel first and burst out laughing. It was a pair of neon green panties with blue crescent moons all over them and across the ass were the words 'This booty belongs to NYPD badge 41023.'

'Where did you get these?'

'Where else? . Keep going.'

Meredeth unwrapped the tell-tale jewelery box containing a necklace. She lifted the lid and furrowed her brow in confusion. 'It's an elephant, inside a heart.'

'Yeah. So you never forget how much I love you.'

She felt her own flutter in her chest and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a sweet kiss before reaching for the wine bottle and uncorking it to pour two glasses. 'I never do. What do you think, this is one for the history books?'

'Are you kidding? Chocolate, dirty home movies and no Ryan interrupting. Best Valentine's ever.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	17. Click: February 19

Esposito awoke when he felt the bed shift. He glanced at the clock and saw it was just past five in the morning; his alarm would be going off for the seven to five shift soon. Reaching blindly he patted the empty space normally occupied by Meredeth, thought perhaps she'd gotten up to work on one of her articles or story arcs. It wasn't weird for her to do that when they spent the night at her place, since Artie needed to go out at random times some nights anyways, but it was out of the ordinary when she was at his place, like now.

Looking around in the near-black, he heard the unmistakable sound of vomiting coming from the bathroom. He tossed the comforter aside, padded quietly over and felt his heart break for Meredeth as he saw her kneeling on the bathroom floor in front of the toilet, her face bright red and stained with little tears.

'Mere? You okay?'

'Do I fucking look okay?' she snapped in a bitchy tone. 'I got my period in my sleep, and vomiting my internal organs is one of the lovely treats that comes with it, along with bloating, gas, and back cramps.'

'Oh.' Esposito rubbed his hand over the back of his head. 'Is there a pill for all that?'

Meredeth spat viciously into the toilet, her stomach rolling. 'I wish. I just need some rest, maybe a back-rub.'

'Well that I can take care of.'

She flushed the toilet, stuck her face under the faucet of the sink to take a drink and rinse out her mouth and let him lead her back into bed as gently as he would a shocked survivor of some disaster. She loathed when that wonderful time of the month hit; despite having prescription strength muscle relaxants, it forever made her want to punch those skinny little blondes she saw at Duane Reade's buying the travel size boxes of tampons and musing on how long it would take them to be used up - two months or three. Some months she was just a cranky bitch, others made her feel like a wobbling flabby mess with nasty bodily fluids trying to escape every orifice of her body. All she wanted was the damned thing over with.

Esposito watched her slide into the restless sleep of the not-feeling-so-hot before he stepped into his shower, the same frustration taking over as when he'd watched her first session with her hypnotherapist and she'd gone through a simulated night terror. He needed to fix it; seeing her in distress brought out that basic need in him. And despite having grown up with a younger sister, he knew almost nothing about how to make a PMSing female feel better. Most of his ex-girlfriends had just made him stay away for a few days because they weren't willing to let themselves be seen as anything less than magazine-model perfect.

After dressing, Meredeth zonked out cold in the bed and hugging one of his goose-down pillows as he did so, he wandered into the kitchen to make his morning coffee. While he waited for it to finish dripping in the maker, the kettle to finish boiling, he examined the contents of his fridge. Not much in there someone who sounded like they were throwing up their stomach lining would like to eat or drink. A quick examination of the freezer gave him the same message.

Sighing, he went to the cupboard and got out the box of tea his non-coffee-drinking girlfriend liked and fixed her a cup. When he took it into his room, he saw she'd stripped off her shirt and was lying sprawled on her back in her bra and sleep pants, staring at the ceiling with a miserable expression she turned on him when she heard him enter the room. His heart broke a little that this was the same woman who just five days before had banged his brains clean out of his head in various places in her Chelsea townhouse.

'Babe, I gotta get to work,' he told her as he set the tea on the bedside table. He brushed the strands of her sweat-drenched hair off of her forehead, felt her skin burn under his touch. 'I'll call when I can.'

'Kay,' she muttered. 'Stay safe. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

The animals of New York had decided that it was far too cold to get up to any nonsense in their cages, leaving Esposito with a relatively light work day; he was able to get caught up on paperwork for the Simone Greer case, work on salient details he knew the DA's office would want when it went to trial.

Seeing no harm in a quick call, he took out his cell and dialed Meredeth's number. He was met with her voice mail.

_Hey it's Meredeth, you know what to do_.

'Hey, baby, it's me, just wanted to check in and see if you're feeling any better. Gimme a shout on my cell when you get this. Love you.'

'What a softie.'

Esposito glanced over his shoulder to see Castle standing there with the tell-tale take-away bag of Cubby's, the only place in the city whose sandwiches rivaled Meredeth's works of culinary art. 'My girl's home sick, I'm making sure she's okay. You don't do that for Beckett?'

'Beckett doesn't get sick. I think her white cells are reinforced with space-shuttle grade titanium and armed with laser-guns. I got you roast beast with spicy mustard on toasted rye,' he added, passing his friend a wrapped sandwich from the bag. 'Ryan, turkey-wrap, hold the tomatoes.' He tossed the other wrapped sandwich to the good Irish cop as he approached the desks.

'Chips?' Esposito asked, unwrapping the recycled paper.

'They were running low, only had salt and vinegar chips.'

'Salt and vinegar chips?'

'They're really popular up in Canada. They've also got ketchup, dill-pickle and something called all-dressed too.'

'Weird.' Esposito took a monster bite of his lunch, then rolled his eyes as his desk phone rang. 'Esposito,' he said around the mouthful of meat and bread.

'Javi?'

He snapped to attention, grabbed his coffee to wash down the bite he'd taken when he heard Meredeth's weak voice on the line. 'Hey, babe. Why are you calling my desk phone?'

'Oh, sorry. Must have hit the wrong speed dial.'

'How are you feeling?'

'Like someone reached up my ass, grabbed my small intestine and is trying to pull it back out.'

'Lovely.' Setting aside the sandwich he now had zero percent interest in eating, he shifted his phone to the other ear, turning his back on Ryan and Castle though he could still feel their eyes. 'You still yakking?'

'No. Thanks for the tea. I was actually hoping you could pick some stuff up for me on your way home.'

'Like girl things?' If she made him pick up Tampax, he'd have no leg left to stand on when he teased Ryan about Honey-Milk; all credibility as the non-whipped half of their duo would be shot to hell.

'Like food things.'

'Oh, sure.' He grabbed a notepad and motioned to Ryan for a pen, noting the barely contained grin on his partner's face. 'Hit me.'

'Ginger beer, unsalted soda crackers, Lipton chicken noodle, oh and orange juice, the kind without pulp, and some Scotch mints.'

'Scotch mints? Like those round UFO-looking kind?'

'Yeah, they help settle my stomach.'

'Okay Scotch mints it is. I'll swing by your place and take Artie out, too.' Esposito paused when he didn't hear her respond. 'Mere?'

'Sorry, Javi, I love you but I have to go hurl my guts out now.'

With that the line went dead, and Esposito hung up the phone; he waited three seconds to stuff the list into his pocket before turning back to the smug-faced men he was having lunch with. 'Alright, let me have it.'

'She got the flu?' Ryan asked, biting into his wrap and promptly spitting it back out, glaring at Castle. 'Dude, I thought I said no tomatoes.'

'No, just a girl thing.'

'Is it a _morning_ girl thing, like when we thought Jenny had the flu before Christmas?'

'More like the complete opposite of that. Something Honey-Milk hasn't worried about since Hallowe'en.'

Ryan shifted in his chair. 'Ah. Say no more.' But he couldn't resist needling his friend. 'She ask you to stop at the drug store for some _supplies_, I take it?'

'Shut up and eat your tomatoes, bro.'

* * *

Lying on the couch in Esposito's living room, Meredeth knew there were times in her life when she'd felt more miserable but she was having a hard time remembering them right now. Between throwing up on an empty stomach and napping in twenty-minute blocks, she'd somehow managed to find the wits to shower and wrap herself in his bathrobe. With the movements of a drunk she'd dragged the duvet and a pillow off of his bed and out to the couch so she could prop her aching back against a hard-yet-soft surface. She'd absently surfed the channels until she happened across Teletoon's marathon of classic eighties cartoons, and tried to focus on the antics of the Muppet-Babies instead of the horror-show her reproductive system was putting on.

As the cramp hit, she closed her eyes and envisioned little Gremlins gnawing away on her ovaries like they were turkey-jerky. A whimper escaped her mouth, as she cursed the fools who'd yet to invent an over-the-counter injection of liquid Midol. There was a catch-22 for the ladies - the medication was meant to prevent nausea, but how could it work if the nausea it was meant to soothe kept ejecting it from the consumer's stomach via projectile vomiting?

Groaning, she shifted uncomfortably on the couch. She wanted her Javi, not just so he would hold her hair back but so he could get there with the delicious bitter fizz of ginger beer and the bland cracker she hoped would sop up some of the acid her stomach continued to churn out.

Her eyes had just begun to sink shut when she heard the front door open and close, the soft _thump-thump_ as he kicked off his winter-shoes, the rustle of the plastic grocery bags.

'Hey baby,' she mumbled from her spot on the couch.

Esposito looked over to the couch, saw her under his duvet and felt his heart sink a little. She always looked so young whenever she was sick, far too similar to when she'd woken up from her night terrors for his comfort. Though she hadn't had a single one since starting therapy back in December, they were still too fresh in his mind for him not to make the association. Crossing over to her, he crouched so he was at her eye level. 'Hello, my love.'

'I feel like death warmed over.'

She looked it, too, with her pale cheeks and glassy eyes, but as Esposito liked his skin on his bones he knew better than to agree with her out loud. Instead he kissed her forehead. 'You feel like something to eat yet?'

'Maybe some crackers and the ginger ale.'

'Actually, I got you this.' He went to the bag and pulled out a six back of Brewster's Jamaican ginger beer. 'Guy at the store said if you've got an upset stomach this is better than ginger ale because there's less sugar and more ginger.'

'Okay.'

Esposito went to the kitchen, yawned as he pulled a glass out and cracked the bottle open. He sniffed and nearly gagged himself; it smelled like the pickled ginger Meredeth ate when they went out for sushi, the crunchy pink stuff he couldn't stand. Still when he brought her the glass and she sighed contentedly at the taste, he knew he'd done good. He set a plate of soda crackers on the table for her, then picking up her legs by the ankles, he sat on the couch and dropped her feet into his lap. 'What are we watching?'

'Teletoon's eighties day marathon. I don't care what you say, I'm thirty-one years old, I have a masters in film history and I watch Inspector Gadget and the Muppet Babies when I'm sick because that's what makes me feel better.'

She waited for the patient, if slightly condescending, 'whatever you want dear' but it didn't come. Instead he snagged one of her crackers off the plate and said, 'I always like the one where Fozzie goes to the dentist. The dentist always freaked me out when I was a kid. Watching it when I was baby-sitting Lili made me feel better.'

'My favourite's the one with their own version of _Star Wars_. That's what got me hooked on the movies.'

'Really?' Esposito shifted, rubbed his hand unconsciously over the top of her foot. 'I was like that with _Ghostbusters_. Gimme the remote, I wanna see if they're on the marathon later.'

Meredeth sighed as she watched him scan the on-screen guide, felt his touch on her foot. What a guy, she thought,he'd already worked a ten-hour day and he'd picked up her list of groceries without a quibble, looked after her dog and returned home to take care of her. How she'd gotten so lucky was a puzzle to her she planned to spend a long time unraveling.

'Love you, Javi,' she murmured as she felt herself drift out again. She was already asleep before she could see him smile, shake his head and say it back to her.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	18. Click: February 27

'Yo, Mere, where's my tie?'

'Which one?'

'The one that goes with my blue suit.' Esposito wandered into the kitchen where Meredeth was arranging food onto plates, holding a shirt on the hanger in one hand. The kitchen table had already been set for the card game with neon coloured poker chips and playing cards - instead of the four suits, there were different families of animals in varying quantities - while on the kitchen island there were plates of fresh fruit and veggies, cold-cuts for sandwiches and bowls of tortillas and baked potato chips with various dips and spreads.

'Should be on the hanger with the matching shirt, babe.'

'Well it's not.'

'Check again.'

He looked under the collar of the shirt in his hand, saw the blue tie dotted with slate-grey pinpoints was indeed tucked neatly in there. 'So it is.'

Meredeth only shook her head as he left the kitchen. He was such a diva about his work-clothes, a fact which according to Lanie had only come about once the well-tailored Castle had shown up. She didn't even want to remember the hell he'd rained on her head when she'd accidentally shrank one; in her defense, he shouldn't have colour-sorted his dress shirts into the same pile as the bed linens.

The doorbell rang, making Arturo race to the living room window to see who was trying to invade his fortress. His barks subsided but his tail was wagging ferociously when Meredeth opened the door to Lanie.

'Hey buddy,' Lanie cooed, shifting her bags to one hand so she could scratch him behind the ears. 'How are ya, boy? You miss me?'

'Don't be fooled, he's an attention whore.'

Lanie smiled, toed off her shoes. 'Let's go find a spot for this stuff, huh? Come on, Artie.'

The two women and the dog went into the kitchen; Lanie began pulling bottles of pineapple and orange juice from her grocery bags and Meredeth was pulling warmed kaiser rolls from the oven when Esposito wandered, dressed with his tie in one hand as he set his black duffel bag on an island bar chair. 'Hey Lanie. Mere, can you-'

'Gimme.' Meredeth tossed aside her oven mitts aside, held out her hand for the strip of silk. 'Snacks are in the fridge.'

'Sweet.' He opened the fridge, grinning foolishly when he saw his surveillance duty fuel neatly stacked on the top shelf. He took the containers out of the fridge, put them in his bag he would stash in the back seat of Ryan's car. 'Explain to me again why you're having a baby shower for Honey-Milk on a Saturday night?' he asked, swigging from a leftover personal bottle of Coke.

'Because not every baby shower is about discussing stretch marks and placentas, you know,' she told him as she folded the tie into a smart Windsor knot. When she'd finished, Meredeth passed it to him. 'Honey-Milk doesn't want all that stuff; she just wants a girl's night of cards and food and baby gifts.'

'Don't say _placenta_, it gives me the creeps.' As he snagged a crunchy green pepper on his way out of the kitchen, Meredeth sighed shook her head, then turned to look at Lanie who was trying without much success to keep a grin off her face.

'What?'

'You two, you're just so freaking adorable together.' She didn't add that it was like watching an already-married couple ready themselves for the night; instead she followed Meredeth out to the living room where both women saw Honey-Milk and Ryan had just arrived and he was helping her with her coat. At four months, her belly was in full bloom and her face had rounded out with the little bit of added baby weight. She smiled warmly playfully rolling her eyes. 'I'm pregnant, not incapacitated, you know.'

'Yeah and you're also not going to overdo it, not after yoga for preggos and swimming today.' Ryan passed his wife's bag to Meredeth. 'She better not lift anything heavier than her dinner plate.'

'Got it covered.'

'Alright, partner, let's roll.' Ryan paused to give his wife a quick kiss, ran his hand over her belly and was pleased when he felt a little bump against his hand. 'He or she says bye-bye too.'

Esposito shook his head, turned to give Meredeth a kiss as well before shouldering his bag. 'I'll talk to you soon, babe. Love you.'

Standing by the stairs, she felt a little hitch when she watched him take his police issue from the drawer in the table by the couch, check the clip and safety, and holster it. Most of the time she thought it was hot he was armed but every so often it reared up and grabbed her - like tonight, when he had to go on a surveillance watch in Alphabet City with Ryan - that his job would lead him to some of the city's more dangerous places. Still, she knew the risks of being involved with a cop, and he always checked in with her, discreetly of course. No need to let Ryan know his homeboy was just a big of a marshmellow when it came to his woman.

'Love you too.' She gave him a second little kiss and watched the cops head out before turning to Honey-Milk. 'May I-?' she asked, pointing at her baby bump.

'Of course.'

Meredeth smiled as she put her palms to the side of Honey-Milk's growing stomach and felt the little nudge under the skin. 'Oh my god, that's amazing.'

'I know, right? Ryan can't get enough of it.'

'How's he handling everything?'

'He's so excited. He thinks because I'm incubating the next generation of the Ryan clan, I should be sitting on a lilypad being worshipped by pilgrims to the holy land,' she joked as they went into the kitchen, saw the minimalist decorations and clapped her hands together. 'Oh, Mere, this is perfect. This is exactly what I wanted.'

'Good, because...oh, hey now, what's this?' Meredeth felt a swoop of panic when Honey-Milk started to sniffle.

'It's okay, it's just hormones. Last night, Ryan wouldn't stop clicking his pen while he was working, so I sorta reached over and yanked the pen out of his hand and threw it at the TV, then burst into tears when he apologized because he didn't know it was annoying me. Then when we went to bed, I used him like a trampoline.'

'That's my girl,' was all Lanie said, as she added ice to the punch she was making. 'Do you know what you're having?'

Honey-Milk shook her head as she began to nibble on a carrot she took from the plate. 'No, we want to be surprised, but we've started getting some names picked out. We like Michelle or Katrina for a girl, and if it's a boy, Mallory or Delaney.'

'Good names,' Meredeth began, but was cut-off when Arturo began barking at the window again. 'Doorbell's going off.'

She went to the front door, saw it was Lili on the other side this time. 'Hey you, come on in!'

'I'm always up for a poker game, especially when there's no men around so we can gossip about them.' Lili passed Meredeth a wrapped box so she could remove her coat, let out a low whistle as she looked around. 'Looks a lot better than it did at Christmas.'

'I've got more of my own furniture here now, and Javi's started keeping a few things here too, so it fills up the space.'

'Really?'

'Well, yeah, I mean if we spend a night together most of the time we're here because of Artie; it's easier on him if he has some things here instead of getting up super early to go to his own place to get ready for work, or having to pack an overnight bag for a day or two.'

'Makes sense.' Lili stopped only half a step when she saw her brother's ancient blue and yellow afghan folded and resting on the back of the comfortable-looking couch. Their grandmother had knitted for him in his rookie year and he refused to part with it no matter how nattered it was. She also knew that him keeping it at Meredeth's house instead of his apartment was a very big flashing sign - this place was becoming his home too.

'Hey, Lili!' Lanie came around the counter to give Esposito's sister a hug when they reached the kitchen. 'Good to see you!'

'You too! Oh, Jenny, look at you!' Lili immediately pulled up a chair so she could lay hands on the belly while across the table Lanie was beginning to shuffle the cards. Lili was giggling like a schoolgirl as she moved her hands around to get the best feel of the moving fetus.

'Hey, _cunada futura, _you see this action? I think she's got a flamenco dancer in her belly.'

Meredeth grinned; Lili never failed to entertain. 'Yes I did. Pretty awesome stuff.'

'Lanie, come on.' Lili waved her over. 'Take a taste of that. She's gonna give birth to the next Diego Maradona, says I.'

Meredeth started to point out that Honey-Milk wasn't a side-show attraction but was cut off when she heard Arturo give a sharp yip from by the front door, letting her know Beckett had arrived. Once she was gone from the room, Lanie pounced.

'Lili, does she know what _cunada futura_ means?'

'Nope. She doesn't speak a lick of Spanish, so I can get away with it. Except around Javi, of course. He'd tell me where I could stick my tongue, even though it's completely obvious that's what she is.'

Honey-Milk poured herself a glass of the fruity punch. 'I'm confused. What does it mean?'

'It means _future sister-in-law_.'

* * *

'Anything yet?'

'No, just like the last time you asked, bro.'

Ryan sat up from his spot on the back seat of his Crown Vic. It was a trick they'd learned doing surveillance watches like this - they'd trade the hours of who watched, so neither burned out and risked losing their man on the course of the eight hour shift. He ran the heel of his hand over his eyes, yawned hugely. 'Sorry, man, Jenny had me up late last night. Girl's hormones are driving me crazy.'

'Dude-'

'Not like that. Well, not _completely_ that.' He thumped his head against the back support. 'Along with the fun stuff she bounces between depression to snarly to happy-fun Jenny at the drop of a hat.'

'And she's got you wrapped around her little finger, doesn't she?' Esposito grinned, watched the building and made a note of a couple coming out of the front door for his files. 'Talk about whipped.'

'Well, truth be told she's got reason to be a little down. She had a fight with her mother.'

'Isn't that what girls do? I know if Lili doesn't get in a weekly round with our mother, she-'

'Jenny's mother thinks we used her illness back at the start of September as an excuse to get married and cover up Jenny already being pregnant.'

'Oh damn. That sucks bro.' Now he twisted fully around in his seat to look at Ryan, something akin to sympathy in his gut. 'Did you tell her when the baby's due?'

'Yeah, but she thinks we blurred that too and we'll just say she's over-due when the baby's born at the end of July.'

'But...' Esposito trailed off as he did the math. 'You guys got married September third, and if she was already six weeks pregnant let's say, that would mean she'd carry the baby over a year, right?'

Ryan nodded wearily, clearly having had this conversation already and didn't have any desire to revisit it. 'Guess you get to wait a little before you get to go through this huh?'

'Yeah, but I know I'll be just as whipped when it's my turn.'

Because Esposito had turned his head back to stare out the windshield, he missed Ryan's eyebrows lifting nearly to the ceiling at his easy answer to Ryan's partly-teasing, partly serious question. The moment passed when Ryan's stomach gave a huge rumble; he rubbed his hand over his midsection.

'Damn. Guess I should have had that second slice of lasagne before leaving.'

Esposito only shook his head. 'Unzip my bag there, bro. Middle pouch.'

Following instructions, Ryan sighed in unadulterated pleasure when he saw the reusable plastic-ware immediately recognizable as containing Meredeth's home-cooking. 'Your girlfriend made you food?'

'Us, bro, both of us. Blue ones are yours.'

With the finesse of a lion tearing into a gazelle, Ryan yanked the blue-lidded containers from the bag, and nearly wept as he pulled off the lids. Inside was Kahlua-pulled pork, Swiss cheese and arugula on cracked wheat toast with a lidded Dixie cup of peppercorn ranch dressing nestled beside it; the other container had a mixed green salad with black olives, shredded mozzarella, and home-made croutons the size of Yahtzee dice with its own lidded Dixie cup of olive oil and herbs as dressing. The third one was like heaven in a plastic box - Meredeth's candy-coated beer-nut cookies, his favourites.

'If I wasn't a happily married man with a baby on the way, I just might have to try and steal her from you. The girl can cook,' he said, digging into the sandwich with gusto. He knew it would make them sound like they were in primary school but Ryan couldn't resist. 'What did she pack for you?'

'Same thing as you, only I got chocolate banana empenadas for something sweet.'

'Lucky bastard. Of course, you sleep with her so that's logical why you get the better desserts.'

'You think that's good, she also made lemon iced tea. The home-brewed kind with scratch made lemon syrup, not that powdered shit, two bottles each.'

Ryan could only stare. 'Dude, marry her.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	19. Click: March 4

With three minutes left on his shift, Esposito could barely contain himself; it was like being a kid again, desperately waiting for the home-bell to ring on a Friday afternoon. As soon as he saw the clock hit six-oh-one he powered off his computer, closed his last file of the day, checked for Meredeth who should have been coming up on the elevator any minute now.

His giddiness did not go unnoticed by his partner, who was still at his desk squeezing the neon-green stress-egg in his left hand while twirling his pen in the other as he tried to concentrate on his final notes of the day.

'Why are you so sparky, bro? Meredeth offer to cook naked or something?'

'Or something.' Esposito shook his head, reached in his inside jacket pocket. 'Check those out.'

Ryan sat up, looked at the tickets. 'Rangers-Blackhawks game?'

'Yeah. I've been wanting to take her to a game, and I finally lined up the tickets for tonight, which also happens to be our five months.'

'You're taking your girlfriend to see a hockey game for your anniversary?' Ryan could only shake her head. 'Whatever happened to jewelery or chocolate or something from La Perla?'

Before Esposito could respond, he saw his lady step off the elevator in jeans and her black-felt pea coat. His heart gave a little bump when she flashed him that smile of hers that melted him like butter. 'Hello Detective, and Detective,' she said, giving Ryan a little salute. 'How's the mama-to-be?'

'Good, she's right on schedule. She really liked that party you had for her last week, too.'

'I'm glad, she seemed like she needed a booster. So,' Meredeth turned to Esposito, 'what is this big surprise you wanted me to meet you down here for?'

'Because I got us these. Happy five months.' The words were barely out of his mouth before he had his arms full of bubbling, ecstatic Meredeth who was literally bouncing up and down.

'Oh, Javi, this is perfect! We haven't gone to a game yet! And look at you, Mister Red Zone, right between the the guest bench and goaltender!' She planted a smacking kiss on his lips, looked at the clock on the wall behind him. 'Come on, we have to move it! Puck drops at seven-thirty! Let's go!'

'Alright, I'ma going! See you tomorrow, bro.'

Ryan could only shake his head in amusement as Esposito put his coat on and was all but goose-stepped out of the bullpen by the enthusiastic Dane. He knew his woman, that was for damn sure.

* * *

The ringing phone awoke Meredeth out of sleep with a groggy frustration. She groaned when she saw the bedside clock read four minutes past two in the morning, as she felt Esposito twist away to pick up the phone. 'Can't you set that thing to vibrate on your nights off?'

'It's the house line.'

Meredeth rolled her eyes as she buried her face in her pillow. The game at the Garden had been a can't-miss of the season - a high-strung game of fist-fights and overtime goals with the Blackhawks emerging victorious in the second period of sudden death. For part of their anniversary dinner, he'd bought her beer and a cookie shaped like the Garden logo; they'd even gotten onto the kiss-cam, then came back to Chelsea for pizza and love-making. They'd barely been asleep for two hours when the intrusion had jolted them both awake. She was nearly back asleep when she heard Esposito's voice immediately clear of sleep. 'Lili? What is it? What's wrong?'

A sickness came into Meredeth's gut as her eyes flew open. 'Lili?'

'Lili, I can't understand you. What about Cam?' When his sister's voice came out as a garbled stream of words, he sighed. 'Okay, calm down, I'll be there as soon as I can.'

He climbed out of bed, grabbed his jeans from where he'd slung them over the foot of the bed. 'Something's up with Cameron.'

Meredeth tossed back the covers, and grabbed her own jeans from her side of the closet. 'I'll get the coffee.'

Esposito felt a microbe of relief as Meredeth dressed and left the room. Of course she would come with him for this, and it shamed him that he'd nearly told her to stay in bed. She loved Lili like a sister and more, Meredeth had unfortunately experienced the worst case scenario a person with a family member in the military could live through. If anyone was capable of decipher his motor-mouth sister in distress, it was her.

Twenty minutes later, they were in the West Village and knocking on Lili's apartment door. They waited three seconds before it was answered by a red-eyed Lili, honking into a Kleenex like a foghorn.

'Lili, what's going on.'

'Cam...he...' Lili broke down into sobs and launched herself at her brother. Her damp eyes left little wet spots on the front of his sweater.

'Come on, Lili,' Meredeth said in a soothing voice, unlatching Lili's arms from around Esposito and taking the tiny Latina into her own. 'Javi, why don't you turn on the kettle.

Esposito nodded as Meredeth walked Lili over to the tiny couch in her equally tiny living room. Once the kettle was on the stove, he found the stash of Sauza Gold he knew sister would have in her freezer and three glasses; he brought them over to the two women and sat on the chair opposite them. Lili knocked hers back with a desperate flare while Meredeth left hers untouched.

'Okay, Lili, what's going on?'

Lili's chin wobbled and for a moment, he thought she would break into a fresh round of sobbing. Instead, the words burst out of her like an explosion.

'He's coming home!' she wailed before collapsing into Meredeth's arms.

Esposito blinked slowly. 'What?'

'Cam's coming home?' Meredeth repeated, as Lili nodded. 'But that's good, right?'

'Uh-huh. But...but...'

'It's not permanent?'

Lili nodded, reached for more tissues as she tried to get her sobs under control. 'It is. He was shot.'

'Oh, Lili.' Esposito reached forward, gripped his sister's hand tightly. 'Hermana, I am so sorry.'

'He was on patrol with his unit, and they ran into a sniper's nest. Eight of them were hit, two dropped dead right there, and Cam and another guy were taken back to the field hospital. The attending was a friend of Cam's from back here and he called me a few hours ago.'

'So he's okay?'

'For now.' Lili let out a great shuddering sigh, blew her nose as her heart raced in panicked double time. 'Oh, God. What if something happens to him while he's-'

'Honey, honey.' Meredeth put a hand on Lili's arm as she heard the rising alarm in her voice. 'You can't let it take over, or it will drive you crazy. You won't eat, you certainly won't sleep. Believe me, I know.'

'All due respect, living with a cop and being married to a soldier aren't the same thing.'

'No, but my mom was in the air force nursing corps. She died in the first Gulf War.'

'Oh Mere, I'm sorry, I didn't know.'

'It's okay.' Meredeth pulled her in for another tight hug, gently stroked her hair as Lili laid her head on Meredeth's shoulder. 'Everything will be fine. Javi, the tea?'

Esposito nodded, not at all uncomfortable that Meredeth had taken the reins with his sister. He stood up to attend to the kettle while Meredeth cradled Lili gently as a newborn in her arms, used the same nurturing voice she used on him when he'd had a bad day on the job. He brought back three mugs with strong green tea he knew Lili liked. It wasn't black coffee but it would do; as he drank he watched Meredeth's face, so serene and strong as Lili sobbed her troubled heart out. For such an expressive face, he found it most beautiful when she barely did anything more than breathe, like right now. Her hands were soft-skinned but her grip was firm as iron and he knew Lili would find comfort there, like he did when things didn't come to a nice neat close for the NYPD's latest victim. For a brief moment, Esposito had a flash of Meredeth fifteen years in the future, comforting their daughter after her first broken heart and felt a fresh surge of love for his Meredeth, his Danish angel.

'Javi? The sugar?' she asked him expectantly.

'Hm? Oh yeah, yeah.' He disappeared into the kitchen, brought it back. 'So when is he going to be home, Lili?'

'Next week. He's going from the U.S. field hospital to Rome, then back to the base in Rochester.'

'I'll make sure I'm there. Have you told Mami and Papa yet? Do Cam's parents know?'

'No, I haven't called them yet. I wanted you both here first. I'll call them in the morning, I just needed some time to...to absorb it myself.' Lili stirred three spoons of sugar into her tea. 'I'm sorry I woke you, I-'

'No, don't apologize, Lili, I'd have called you if something happened to Javi.' The thought gave her a nasty bump, but it went away when Lili smiled.

'I'd hope so, though I pray that day never comes.'

Esposito shifted, glanced at his watch. It was almost three, and he was on the roll at seven that morning. 'Lil, not that I'm not here for you, but I have to be at work in less than four hours-'

'Oh I know, I know, the world keeps turning outside of my personal crisis. I understand if you need to go.'

'Javi, can I talk to you a moment?' Meredeth went into the kitchen to refill her tea cup with hot water. 'I'm going to stay here with Lili for the night, okay?'

'Are you sure?'

'Just trust me. She's going to need a friend.'

Esposito kissed her, gave her a quick hug. 'Thank you Mere. You've got your keys?'

'Yeah, they're in my bag.'

'Okay. I'll text you once I'm at the precinct, okay?' He kissed her again. 'Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Meredeth closed the door behind him; when she turned around, she saw Lili was smiling a little smile through her tears. 'What?'

'The way you two look at each other, it's so sweet. Never thought I'd see the day when my big bro would be so stuck on a girl.' Lili tucked her feet up under her butt, swiped at her eyes with her tissues. 'I know today is your five months, I hope I didn't interrupt anything tonight?'

'Just sleep. And if you had, you wouldn't have been the first one,' Meredeth said, telling Lili the story of poor Ryan and his inability to take a hint when Esposito was turning him down because Meredeth was there. As she'd hoped, Lili cracked up, distracted from the reason Meredeth had come there in the first place.

'Oh poor guy! I bet he was red in the face the entire day!' Lili giggle before turning sober, thinking of something Meredeth had said before. 'Oh and by the way, I'm really sorry about your mom.'

'It's okay. I'd just assumed your brother mentioned it to you.'

'No, he only said that you'd lost your mom when you were little.' Lili picked up the tequila Esposito had poured and left untouched, swirled it in the glass while Meredeth took a seat beside her on the couch. 'But I don't want to be maudlin right now. Cam's coming home and that's what's important, right?'

'Exactly. Tell me about him, I don't know that much except what I heard at Christmas.'

'We met in the ER.'

'Shut up, you did not!'

Lili giggled again, relief coming in more and more now. 'No, it's true. I sliced my hand with a letter opener at work and while he stitched me up, he flirted like a hound. After I was discharged, he walked me out of the building since he was off shift and asked me out for a drink. That was almost four years ago, and we're celebrating our one-year anniversary on April fourteenth.'

'Javi and I have our six-months on April fourth.'

'Six months? Wow.' Lili bumped her glass against the side of Meredeth's, which she'd picked up. 'Cheers to that, man. I guess time flies when you're in love.'

'It really does.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	20. Click: March 10

'Time to hit the hay, isn't it, my faithful companion?'

Meredeth said it to Arturo as she fixed herself a cup of tea along with a plate of cheese, crackers and fruit. She'd had the house to herself for the night; Esposito had told her that morning he'd be taking his buddy Gil Mazzara out for some drinks to celebrate the good news of his wife being pregnant. With no other plans made, she'd indulged in a long hot bath and spent her boyfriend-free night working on the first chapters of the next Lady Hawk story.

She'd decided to give her leading lady - Tabitha Stroud by day, Lady Hawk by night - a male companion in the form of Sergeant Tonio Uccello, a double-agent in the mafia's band of bought cops. Despite the fan-fiction writers who dreamed up various tales that Tabitha's co-worker Joshua Sunder was already her lover, Meredeth had a different idea in mind. She hadn't ever planned on giving Tabitha a boyfriend, but after Esposito had come into her life, she thought her semi-fictional counterpart deserved some happiness too. Of course, Tabitha's relationship with a cop would be far more dramatic than her own. The two of them held each other to the bargain that they talked through things instead of letting it stay bottled up: Tonio, on the other hand was a cop on the take turned mole dating a city official who moonlighted as a vigilante one-woman army.

Now, with a chapter out of the latest J.D. Robb novel keeping her company, she'd settled into her comfy bed when Arturo sat up suddenly, looking around like he'd heard a noise. Meredeth's hand paused on the page, one going to the paring knife sitting on the edge of the snack plate. It was a safe neighbourhood but every so often, she knew there were jokers who liked to sniff around and she knew the paring knife wouldn't do a lot of damage but a few pokes into soft flesh with it would give her enough time to get out of the house. Her breath whooshed out when she saw Arturo flop back down, the moment passing only for a moment when he got up and trotted downstairs to the door, like he was expecting someone to walk through in a few seconds.

'What are you doing, you silly animal?' she mumbled, getting out of bed and following him down the stairs. She stopped short when she saw Esposito standing by the door, scratching Arturo behind the ears with one hand while supporting a very wobbly-on-the-pins Gil Mazzara. He had a hand braced on the newel post as if he needed the inanimate object to help steady his balance and was mumbling half to Esposito, half to himself.

'Javi? What are you doing here?'

At the sound of Meredeth's voice, both men turned to look up the stairs; Gil blinked like bugs were swarming his face as he tried to focus on her face. 'Hey, Mere. You look pretty.'

'Are you...are you _drunk_?'

'No, just had a few with my boy Javier. You're not drunk are you?' he asked when she continued to stare at him in confusion.

'Who do you think drove you here?' Esposito stumbled a little under Gil's drunken weight; though they were the same height Gil easily had forty pounds on Esposito in body mass. 'Mere, give me a hand, will you?'

Meredeth got her feet to unplant themselves from the stairs and went to him, smelling the ripe stench of cheap liquor as she helped deposit the drunk detective onto her couch before turning to Esposito. 'Can I see you in the kitchen, please?'

'Absolutely. Gil, I'm going to get you some coffee, bro,' he said to his friend. 'If you need to hurl, bathroom is under the stairs. Vomiting on my girlfriend's carpet will put both of us in the doghouse.'

Standing upright, Esposito stripped of his own jacket and shoes, strode into the kitchen to see Meredeth drumming her fingers on the counter. He went past her and began to fix a pot of coffee as much for himself as for Gil; he knew she wasn't exactly happy to see him just now, not when he brought back his inebriated colleague and friend to her couch after she'd already tucked herself into bed for the night.

'Mere, there is a reasonable explanation for this.'

'I'm all ears,' she said tersely. 'I thought you were going out to celebrate his impending fatherhood.'

'That was the plan.'

'Looks like it went just fine to me.'

Esposito shook his head; he didn't blame her in the slightest for being snippy. When he'd poured the water through the Bunn Drip-o-Matic, he turned to look at her. Even when she was pissed at him she was still so beautiful, he thought. 'It's complicated but the upshot is that he's not having a kid and he's taking it really hard. He's in no shape to go home, and it was closer to bring him here with me instead of driving all the way over to East Fifty-Third.'

'Oh.' Now feeling slightly slimy, Meredeth opened the cupboard door to pull out coffee mugs for the two of them, a third to make herself some tea. 'Does he take cream or sugar?'

When the coffee was ready, Meredeth carried the tray into the living room; she passed two cups to Esposito sitting beside Gil, whose face showed the stamp of emotional devestation. She sat on the table facing him, Esposito taking the space beside him.

'What happened, Gil? Julietta lost the baby?'

'Not exactly. She's having a baby, it's just not mine.' Gil wrapped his hands around the cup Esposito passed him, took a slow sip. It burned the inside of his mouth as he swallowed. 'Goddamn it.'

All sympathy now, Meredeth put her hand on his knee, leaned forward. 'Gil, I'm so sorry.'

'She was fucking around on me, and she wouldn'ta told me if I hadn't heard from the doctor.'

'It's okay, you don't have to tell me-'

'No, everyone at the Twelfth knows, and your boy would prob'ly tell you anyways.' He took another gulp of coffee, tried to steady his nerves with a deep breath. 'Julietta an' me, we've been trying to have a baby for the last few months. We went for some tests last week, which had me freaked out but when she told me two days ago we did it, we were gonna be parents, I thought everything was on the level.'

'So what happened?'

'Doc called me on my cell this morning, said he wished he had better news for me but that I was firing blanks. I say to him, how's that possible, my wife's pregnant, she got the test done, she's having a baby. Doc says, I don't know what to tell you, but science says you couldn't have done it.'

'Oh, no. I'm so sorry Gil.' Meredeth moved so she was sitting beside him as well, gave him a supportive squeeze on the arm.

'I couldn't face that lying slut, so I told Javier here I just wanted to go out and get shit-faced.'

'I don't blame you.' Pursing her lips, she glanced over at Esposito. 'Babe, there's a quilt and some pillows in the linen closet upstairs, why don't you go grab them?'

'Sure.'

Once he'd left, Meredeth turned her attention to back to Gil. 'You're staying on the couch here tonight, so Esposito doesn't go out of his mind worrying about you getting home safely.'

Gil looked around, able to see through his non-bleary eyes a little better now. 'This is some palace. Chelsea, right?'

'Yeah, six blocks from Penn Station.'

'You rich or something?'

'Meredeth's a writer,' Esposito reminded his friend with a pat on the shoulder, returning with the warm blanket and pillows for Gil. 'She writes the Lady Hawk graphic novels.'

'Oh yeah.' Gil thumped his head back against the couch. 'What am I gonna do, man?'

'Right now you're going to get some sleep, and tomorrow, we'll fill you with some hangover breakfast and get things sorted out, whatever they may be.'

Esposito watched as she unfolded the blanket for the now not-so-drunk Gil, then put his coffee on the table before heading upstairs. He followed her up to the bedroom, flopped across the foot of the bed so he was staring at the ceiling while she read, Arturo curled up in front of her dresser.

'Would you still love me if I couldn't give you babies?'

Meredeth's head snapped up from her book. He could have hit her over the head with a gold brick and it would have been less of a shock. 'What?'

'Would you still love me if I couldn't give you babies?'

'Of course I would, what kind of question is that?'

Esposito sighed, dragged a hand over his face. 'He was so happy, Mere. He came into the station yesterday, saying Julietta told him he's gonna be a daddy. You'd think it was Christmas and his birthday all in one. Then today...I didn't see it, but word is they had one hell of a screaming match in his office up in Vice when she came in to meet him for lunch. And gossip spreads like wildfire in a precinct so by the end of shift, everyone knows Gil's boys can't swim and his wife's been playing lifeguard with someone else. And it sucks because they seemed so happy, like they had it together, you know?'

'You mean like us.'

'I didn't think of that right away, but somewhere around the third or fourth round of Gil drowning his sorrows, he told me we reminded him of when he first got together with Julietta, and started getting really depressed, how women don't want men who are neutered, and hard as I tried, I just couldn't get it out of my head. Besides, it's...it's been on my mind lately.'

'Really?' The idea that he wanted to have babies at all with her made her insides flutter. She'd thought about it, but had kept it to herself, not wanting to appear like the crazy fools-rush-in partner. But she never thought she'd hear it from Esposito's mouth; hell, they hadn't even reached their six-months together. And yet, as it always did with him, the big conversations about their future together always seemed natural, as if all couples talked about things like this so early in their relationship.

'Yeah.' Esposito reached over to link his fingers with Meredeth's. So soft, and so steady, arousal and comfort all in one. 'Ryan's my best friend's and he's going to be a father before the end of summer. I see the way he lights up whenever he talks about his baby. He's so proud of making that little unknown life with Honey-Milk. Just made me think what it'd be like for us to have that too.'

'Oh Javi.' Now Meredeth stretched out on top of him, so she could look him squarely in the eye. 'I love you very much, and that won't change, whether you naturally give me zero babies or a hundred.'

'Okay, maybe not a hundred, Mere.'

'Yeah, that would make my lady parts look like something from _Stargate_. How many were you thinking?'

Esposito bent his elbow up, so his palm could rest against the back of his skull. 'Like, maybe four.'

'Four?'

'Yeah. A girl, twin boys, and another boy. Then our princess would have her three musketeers.'

Because this hypothetical family planning was erasing his misery, Meredeth cocked her head to the side. 'And what, pray tell, would these progeny be named?'

'Well, for the girl, Zoe. And then the boys would be Alejo, Ricardo and Reynaldo.'

'Alejo, Ricardo, and Reynaldo,' Meredeth repeated, laying her hand on his chest. 'Any reason?'

'My father, and my two best friends.'

'Those are good names. Zoe Constance, Alejo Anders, Ricardo James and Reynaldo Ozymandias. That's a solid group.'

Esposito stared at her for a moment. 'Ozymandias?'

'Yeah, you know, like in _Watchmen_. Way cool than his alter ego, Adrien, plus it's also the name of a Byron poem. I am Ozymandias, look on my works ye mighty and despair,' she declared in a mock-baritone, shaking her fist lightly.

He laughed, his first one of the day since hearing about his friend's world shattering around him. 'Only you, Mere. God I love you.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	21. Click: March 15

Esposito stepped out of Meredeth's ensuite, skin soaking wet from his shower to see her undressing from the day. She'd just finished her first day at the television offices that were producing her books into the miniseries, and she'd worn one of her lady-suits, the same kind Beckett wore when they had to be in court. This particular one was black with silver accents that made her hair appear ever more caramel-like, and she'd worn high heels too, he could see her taking them out of the bag she always toted with her to her own offices.

She'd been nervous as hell that morning, to the point where she was almost sick to her stomach, but through her own sheer force of nerves, he'd watched her talk herself off the ledge, put her game face on and get ready for the day. He'd reassured her that she would be spectacular, and now, despite being dog-tired himself, he couldn't wait to hear how things had gone for her. He knew how important it was for her that the adaptation was a success, it was something she'd dreamed of since she was a teenager and to see it come to fruition was as terrifying as it was exciting. Seeing her so happy always made him feel better.

Now, he watched her bubble on the phone to her grandmother - in Danish, which had the blood flowing a little quicker in his veins - he wrapped the towel around his waist a little tighter, watched her sit down on the side of the bed and massage her probably-aching feet; why did women always wear those torture devices of high heels when they did nothing but complain about how much they hurt? With careful, panther like movements, he sneaked up behind her grabbing her around the waist in a bear hug, turning his nose to her throat so he could breathe deep the scent of her fancy Fragonard perfume.

'Tell Constance to call back later,' he murmured, 'I'm mostly naked and you smell delicious.'

'In a minute,' she hissed at him, but when he put his lips to her the column of her neck, she felt her eyes begin to roll in her head. 'Momo, I have to run, I'll talk to you soon.'

She hung up the houseline, turned on the bed to see he wasn't kidding about being half-naked. 'Hello, handsome.'

'Hello, gorgeous.'

'You just got here, I'm assuming?' Not wanting to leave his embrace, but also not wanting to ruin her suit, Meredeth unwound his arms from around her waist and stood up to undress. 'How was your day, _dear_?'

'Interesting. We caught a case around six this morning, guy was missing all his teeth, had all his fingerprints burned off and found in a dumpster with a poker chip under his tongue.'

'That _is_ interesting. Any leads?'

'Yeah, case was closed only an hour past end of shift, but I can tell you about work later. How was your first day?'

'Oh, man, Javi.' Meredeth had unbuttoned her jacket and hung it back in her closet, and was working on flipping open her blouse's buttons. 'I am so excited. The writers who are adapting the script were there, and we're going to have the voice cast picked soon so there will be studio recording sessions by the first of June, and animation will be underway by July. And all of them were looking to me and Kristof, saying this is your project as much as it is ours, we need your input as much as we can have it.'

'I'm glad it went well.'

Now down to her bra, Meredeth unfastened her pants and stepped out of them, then turned to him smiling. 'This was not well, this was fan-friggin-tastic.' She knelt on the side of the bed, took his face in her hands to give him a long deep kiss. 'And since I'm not on the phone now...'

'Oh I see.' Esposito flashed her the grin that told her she was in for a treat of the very naked kind; when she tugged at his towel he pulled her close, nipping at her bra strap with his teeth. 'Just hold on, missy.'

In one swift move, he'd reached behind her back and flipped open the hooks of her bra, threw it aside to fill his hands with her breasts. He watched as her eyes began to glaze over with pleasure and the knowledge of what was in store for her. He felt his body respond when he heard her satisfied little hum, tugging away the towel around his waist and returning the groan when she pushed him over to straddle him.

Half an hour later, sprawled on her bed and staring at the ceiling, Esposito grinned like a fool. Castle and Ryan had given him the gears about skipping out on a night of beer and basketball, saying he was hoping to get lucky since Meredeth would come home wearing one of her silk suits. It appeared they'd been right, but hey, who was the one who'd gotten laid before having dinner that night, he mused. Beside him, equally naked and grinning, Meredeth absently drummed her fingers on her abdomen.

'Definitely worth hanging up on Momo for.'

'I'll say.' With a small groan, he sat up. 'Definitely it's easier to be spontaneous since you went on the hormone needle. Not that I don't take my responsibilities to you seriously, but-'

'But part of romance is clearing the kitchen table with a sweep of arms and going for it without worrying about spawning a generation of Mere-Spositos,' she finished for him, giggling when he pulled her up and kissed her.

'Exactly.'

'When is your next day off?'

'I'm off Friday-Saturday this week, then on for eight days straight, why? You wanna spend two days clearing the kitchen table?'

'Actually,' she said, getting up to tug on a t-shirt, 'I was hoping you'd come with me to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I need to get a new bed and I'd like you to pick it out with me.'

Esposito looked at the one they were on - it was an old-fashioned sleigh bed, the head and foot boards carved out of cherry with the faded varnish giving it character. The mattress was covered in Meredeth's favoured midnight blue linens. 'What's wrong with this?'

'Well, the mattress needs to be replaced and my grandmother wants the frame. It wasn't something I ever intended to keep anyways, she just didn't know where she wanted it in her house in Miami. So she'll be picking it up when she comes up for Easter in a week and a half, leaving me in the market for something new. Anyways, I figured since you spend a lot of nights here, you'd want to be part of picking it out, since it'd be fifty percent your bed too.'

'Or...' he said at length, 'it could be our bed, one hundred percent.'

'How do you mean?'

'Well, what if this was my place too?'

Meredeth felt her stomach do a double-bounce. 'Like, living together?'

'Yeah.' Esposito ran his hand over her back, hoping it didn't shake. He'd been thinking about it a lot, every time he'd gone back to his place. He'd always treasured having his own living space, but now that Meredeth was in his life he felt the need for it lessening more and more. 'I love you Mere, and I feel like we're ready to take the next step.'

She turned back to face him, a smile on her lips, and hands on her hips. 'You can't bring that sofa with you. It's very uncomfortable, but the chair is fine. I like that chair. Fond memories of that chair.'

'Is that a yes?'

'Yes.' Meredeth swallowed, let out a shaky breath as she said it again with rapidly growing excitement. 'Yes!'

With a laugh, Esposito wrapped his arms around her, kissing her hard as he pulled her back onto the bed, making her shriek in delight. 'My apartment lease isn't up until the end of the month, though.'

'Well, that'll give us time to get things arranged, you know. Utilities, furniture, packing, change of address forms.' Meredeth put her hand on his cheek. 'This is going to be huge.'

'I know. So what should we do first?'

Meredeth shoved him onto his back. 'Christen _our_ bedroom, good and proper.'

* * *

By the time Saturday rolled around, Ryan was very thankful that he and his partner both had the day off the roll; even better they were going to be total teenagers and spend the day on a _Halo_ junket courtesy of Rick Castle's connections to get them the latest not-even-released edition while Meredeth took Honey-Milk baby-clothes shopping.

He knocked on Esposito's door, opened when he heard his friend holler from inside, and stopped short. The living room was a mess of boxes, some full, some half-empty, while the kitchen looked like a bomb went off though that wasn't so unusual considering how useless Esposito was as a cook. Ryan shut the door, looking aorund in confusion and saw his partner-in-crime standing by the living room book-shelf with a screw driver in his hand.

'Hey Ry,' was the jaunty greeting as he unbolted an empty shelf. 'You got the game?'

'Hi,' Ryan replied warily. 'What's all this? You going somewhere?'

'Kind of. Thirsty?'

Esposito tossed the screwdriver into a toolbox, wandered to the fridge knowing all the while Ryan's eyes were following him like a lion stalking its prey. He opened a bottle of Sam Adams, passed it to Ryan before taking one for himself. 'We'll get to the game thing, but do you mind giving me a hand getting that shelf dismantled? I already sold it on Craigslist and the guy is picking it up from the super on Monday morning.'

'Sure, as soon as you tell me why we're doing all this.' Before Esposito could respond, Ryan eyed him up. 'You and Meredeth are moving in together?'

'Yeah.'

'Dude! That's amazing!' Setting aside his beer, Ryan slapped his palm against his partner's and pulled him in for a quick embrace before he picked up a screwdriver to help unfasten the bolts of the shelving. 'When did this get decided?'

'Three days ago. Meredeth told me she was getting a new bed-'

'Why, you guys break the frame on the one she has right now?'

'Cute. And, no, smart-ass, Constance is taking the bed frame back with her to Miami when she comes up for Easter. Meredeth has to get a new one and we started talking and decided we're going to take it to the next level.'

'That's amazing.' Ryan dropped the loosened screw into a Ziploc bag containing the other hardware. 'So, what's going, what's staying?'

'The sofa, this shelving and all kitchen stuff except my coffee mugs and my coffee maker are going on the market. My TV, my bed and my chair are going to Meredeth's, and of course my posters and my other personal stuff, clothes, whatever go with me too.'

'She's letting you keep that chair?'

'I like that chair. Fond memories of that chair,' Esposito responded, echoing Meredeth's words.

'Oh come _on_, bro! Calling you when you two were going at it was more than enough for five years of therapy.' Ryan's hand froze, his eyes popping wide. 'Don't tell me that's where you were when that happened!'

Esposito just shook his head, sipped his beer. That little incident, it seemed, was paying off more than he could possibly have imagined; it had become Ryan's go-to point of horrifying circumstances. It also served to be a point of torture, as the mere mention of Esposito having any kind of romantic time with Meredeth had Ryan turning pink at the gills with embarrassment. 'You really think I'm going to put you out of your misery on that one?'

'You know when you want to, you can be really mean.'

'If you really thought that, you wouldn't be helping me pack to move in with my girlfriend. And speaking of...' he said as his phone peep-peeped 'Good Vibrations'; he flipped open his phone to take the call. 'Hey, how's baby shopping?'

Ryan laughed, moved onto the next screw as he watched his partner talk to Meredeth and thought about the money he'd collect from Castle on their little 'when will Mere and Javi shack up' wager Monday morning; he wondered if Castle would go double-or-nothing that Esposito would be engaged before he and Meredeth hit their one-year anniversary.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	22. Click: March 26

'Bread?'

'Warming in the oven.'

'Wine?

'Chilling in the fridge.'

'My sanity?'

'Flushing down the toilet.'

Meredeth laughed a little as she watched Esposito peel carrots at the kitchen sink. 'True say. But can you blame me? It's the first time they're coming here, plus Lili and Cam are going to be here as well.'

She went to the fridge, pulled out a head of red cabbage. 'Fish was a good idea, right? I'm not Catholic, and I know your family is, so I figured fish on Friday, but some people don't eat even that, and-'

'Mere, you're doing it again,' Esposito interrupted her, pointing the peeled carrot at her. Much as he loved her, she was a handful when her nerves got the better of her; he understood why his family made her edgy, though. Having grown up an only child and raised by her grandmother, Alejandro and Rosalita's open acceptance of her always threw her a little off kilter. Steering her back to a task he knew would keep her occupied, he showed off his colander of peeled carrots. 'Okay, these are ready, what now?'

'They need to be grated and mixed with the green cabbage in the bowl.'

'Got it.'

'When are your family getting here?' Meredeth asked, hoping she sounded casual.

'Around four. They went to eleven o'clock mass, then out for late lunch with my cousins.' Esposito dutifully tossed the carrots in with the cabbage, dried his hands on the apron she'd insisted he wear. He scooted closer to her, watched the way she diced the cabbage. 'You know, there's nothing hotter than a woman with a knife.'

'I thought last night it was a woman in a kimono?'

He only laughed, pressed a loud kiss to her cheek. 'We have a little time, we could play pastry chefs. There's a bowl of whipped cream in the fridge.'

'Dirty boy.' But she set her knife down, turned to return the kiss with a twinkle in her eye. 'It is Good Friday, wouldn't naughty school girl goes to confession be more appropriate?'

'Depends. Was she caught stealing chocolate?'

'She could be.'

'Then once our guests have gone,' he told her, tapping his index finger on her forehead, her nose and each of her cheeks, 'you'll have to tell me all your sins .'

He braced his hands on the counter so she was trapped between his arms, bumping his nose against hers so his mouth was a whisper from hers. He heard her swallow lightly before he laid his lips against hers, parting them ever so slightly with his tongue, just enough to tease and stir her senses.

They were rudely interrupted by the ringing doorbell, which set Arturo to barking like it was the end of the world. With a a chuckle, he thumped his forehead against hers. 'Better go see who that is.'

'Can you go? I want to get this finished up.'

'Umm...' Esposito pursed his mouth, pressed his body against Meredeth's. 'You tell me if that's a good idea.'

She giggled, realizing what he meant, and strolled out to control her barking dog. 'Arturo, knock it off, you bonehead,' she admonished him as she opened the door. 'Sorry about that, he...Momo!'

Her jaw dropped open in shock when she saw her grandmother on the other side of the door, suitcase in one hand and purse in the other with a wide grin on her face. 'Surprise, _pige_!'

'No shit! I mean, what are you doing here? I thought you were flying in tomorrow?' Reeling, Meredeth hugged her automatically as Constance walked in and closed the door behind her.

'I know, but I wanted to surprise you and clearly I did.' Constance toed off her shoes, hung her coat on the hook behind the door. 'I took an early flight up with Terrance, he's visiting his daughter and son-in-law and going to church with them, and since that's not really my scene I came here.'

'Oh, well, yea!' Meredeth forced herself to smile as they walked into the kitchen. 'Javi, honey, look who's here!'

Before he even turned around, Esposito went on alert. She only called him _honey_ when she was about to lose her mind; he'd discovered that when he'd powered down her computer for her during a thunderstorm without realizing she hadn't saved her work and she'd lost almost three hours worth of drafted material. A quick glance over his shoulder made him do a double take. He set the knife aside and turned around fully to see Constance standing there with Meredeth, who looked about as shocked as he felt. 'Constance, hey! What are you doing here?'

'Surprising you two, and I guess I can check that off the list.' Constance walked into the kitchen, saw the meal preparation in progress. 'Am I interrupting something?'

Esposito nearly opened his mouth to say yes but saw Meredeth shake her head fiercely out of the corner of his eye and replied, 'Not at all. Why don't you grab a drink and I'll give Meredeth a hand with your bags.'

Before Constance could protest, he was across the room and following Meredeth to the hallway to deal with her grandmother's luggage. 'Are you okay?' he asked hesitantly, taking the heavier of the two suitcases up the stairs.

'I'll get back to you on that one.'

'She's not going to freak out when you tell her we're officially living together as of next Tuesday, right?'

'No, of course not, only...' Meredeth blew out a breath as they reached the second floor, turned down the hallway to the guest room. 'Us moving in together is big, right? And we're telling your family when they come for dinner, which is even bigger. _And_ we're having your parents here for the first time, which puts us into the huge category. Add my grandmother in there so your parents meet my grandmother for the first time. That's like four big relationship things all at once, it's a lot to take!'

'I know, babe, I know.'

'And it's not that I don't want them to meet, because I do, it's important, right? But...this is like trying to cram all of Disneyland into a two-day visit, so it feels like a chore instead of enjoying it.'

'Mere.' Esposito set Constance's suitcase on the floor of the guest room, put his hands on her shoulders. 'Breathe, okay? It'll be fine. Besides, having them all here together might not be so bad, you know? We can tell them I'm moving in with you at the same time, and if we tell them before dinner, we won't seem all twitchy and nervous like we're hiding something.'

'Never thought of that.'

'Because you're too busy freaking out. And if things don't go smoothly, I'll get Lili to whip up some brass monkeys and that'll cure your over-thinking, if not your thinking full-stop.'

He gave her a kiss, sweet and reassuring to let her know that they'd sort it out; as they were walking out of the guest room, the sound of Lili's delighted voice in full babble floated up the stairs. Meredeth's fingers tightened immediately on the banister but she kept walking, Esposito rubbing her shoulders as he followed her down.

Sure enough, they reached the foot of the stairs and saw all four of them being greeted by Constance, who was carrying a wrapped platter into the kitchen while she chatted with Rosalita like they were fast friends. Lili was there, helping Cam out of his coat, her smile turning just a little cheeky when she saw her brother and Meredeth coming down stairs.

'And where did you two scamper off to?' she asked with a knowing tone.

'Taking my grandmother's things upstairs. You're here early,' Meredeth replied, embracing Lili tightly.

'Yeah, lunch kinda went south. My cousin Jorge isn't exactly quiet about his opinion on the American military in Iraq, and it was really bothering Cam so we booked it out of there.'

'How's he doing?' Esposito asked in a low voice, watching Cam walk with a limp into the kitchen, clutching a slender lacquered cane for support.

'Doc says his knee is healing well, and his shrink says he's still got a long way to go but he's making good progress so far.'

'Good. I know what it's like to have someone you love go through therapy,' he said, giving Meredeth a kiss on the temple, missing the soft-hearted look Lili gave them.

The trio headed into the kitchen, where Meredeth saw her grandmother had opened the wine Rosalita and Alejandro had brought while Cam had taken a seat at the kitchen table and was making fast friends with Arturo. Lili immediately went over to her mother, wrapped her arms around her in a light hug, while Constance appeared deeply engrossed in a conversation with Alejandro.

'So, um, since we're all here together, a little unexpectedly,' Meredeth said, slipping her arm around Esposito waist, 'we have a little anouncement we'd like to make.'

'Oh! You're engaged!' Lili burst out.

'No, not quite, _hermana_,' Esposito laughed. 'As of next Tuesday, April first, Meredeth and I will officially be living together.'

The room burst with a congratulatory cheer, Lili leading the charge as she wrapped an arm tightly around each of Esposito and Meredeth's necks, effectively throwing them into a double hammerlock. 'Oh, yea! That's fantastic!'

'My boy,' Rosalita said, a small sob in her voice, 'all grown up.'

'I know what you mean,' Constance chipped in, her unshakable voice noticeably unsteady. Knowing she wouldn't be able to keep it together if Meredeth said anything to her, and not wanting to embarrass herself in front of Esposito's parents, she went to the fridge and pulled out the bottle of champagne she'd brought with her. 'I had a feeling we'd be needing this over the weekend, so why don't we crack it open now?'

* * *

Several hours later, after a couple glasses of champagne to toast the happy couple's news and Meredeth's verifiable feast had been consumed, only Constance, Meredeth and Esposito remained. Lili and Cam had left early by taxi, owing to Cam needing to rest; despite his upbeat attitude, he was still in recovery mode. Not long after Rosalita and Alejandro had departed as well, but not before Rosalita had traded emails with Constance for sharing baking recipes back and forth from New York to Florida.

Once everyone had gone, the remaining three had decided it was time for hot beverages and strawberry apple pie in the living room, with Esposito and Meredeth sitting on the couch while Constance took the chair closest to the fireplace.

'I swear, I'll either need bigger belts or a few more hours at the gym living with your cooking all the time now, Mere,' Esposito said on a stretch before wrapping his arms around her waist. Dinner had indeed been a sumptuous affair. Broiled white fish and hand-cut potato wedges seasoned with garlic and red peppers, fresh cole-slaw Esposito insisted everyone, cracked wheat bread from Meredeth's bread-maker, along with fresh vegetables and bleu cheese dip had not gone to waste in the slightest. Rosalita had brought a tray of sweet rolls from the bakery, as well as the delicious plonk Meredeth remembered trying at Christmas to wash it all down.

'I'd bank on a few more miles on the treadmill. Meredeth learned long ago the way to bribe people is with their favourite sweet-treats. And speaking of which,' Constance wiped her mouth on her napkin and momentarily left the table before returning with a pair of envelopes and a small jewelery box. 'I wanted to wait until the right time to give these to you.'

'Presents?'

'Just a few things I don't need anymore, I thought you might find useful. Javier the blue one is for you, the jewelery box is for Meredeth and the green one is for the both of you. Consider it happy housewarming gifts.'

Meredeth wasted no time in untying the ribbon around the flat velvet box; she gasped dramatically, grabbing Esposito's wrist as she lifted the lid. 'Momo, are you kidding me? You're giving me Cleo?'

'Cleo is my grandmother's Nissan Maxima,' Meredeth explained, lifting out the set of keys from the box. 'I just...this is unbelievable!'

Constance just smiled and scooped up more pie. 'Come on, there, flatfoot, your turn now.'

Esposito set his fork aside, shredded through the paper and wondered if his eyes were still in their sockets as he saw what he'd unwrapped. 'Constance, these are your Mets season's tickets!'

'What?' Meredeth's head whipped over so fast she gave herself a crick in the neck. 'Your season's tickets, Momo? Are you dying?'

'No, dear, just living in Florida. I didn't renew them for next year but I still have them for the summer and I figured since you live here and have friends who are baseball fans, you'd get more use out of them than me. Now open that last one.'

With each choosing an end, they tore open the last package, found an airline brochure. 'It's round-trip coach airfare to Miami, whenever you can afford the time, to come and visit me,' she explained. 'There is one condition.'

'What's that?'

'Bring along that homemade wine your mother made. Plonk, is it? That stuff will put Terrance on his ass for sure.'

Esposito laughed. 'I'll see what I can do.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	23. Click: April 3

_Hello faithful readers! So here we are at the six month mark! And since it's a 'special occasion' haha, this is an extended NSFW chapter! Leave your comments and share the love!_

* * *

'So do you have any idea what he's up to?' Meredeth stared at Lanie while she packed, who was sitting cross-legged in the ugly purple armchair by the closet and scratching Arturo on the back. It was Meredeth's favourite acquisition of Esposito's since he'd moved in; there was just something about its character that made her grin. 'All I know is his text said Friday night, pack a bag, eight pm.'

'Maybe he's taking you to Paris for the weekend.'

'Doesn't that seem a little over the top for a six-month anniversary?'

'Castle sent Beckett a limo to take her to Myrtle Beach for two days on Valentine's.'

'That's because Richard Castle is an overgrown frat boy with an unlimited platinum card,' Meredeth retorted, going to the closet to pick out her kimono, which had Lanie whistling.

'That is gorgeous, girl.'

'Christmas present from Javi.'

'Spoiled,' Lanie said with a smile. 'Dave and I are still getting to know each other. He hasn't gotten to see me in anything like that,' she added, pointing at the telling red and black striped bag in Meredeth's hand. 'Shopping in Brooklyn?'

Meredeth grinned, dipped in to take out the fancy lingerie still wrapped in siren-red tissue paper. 'No, on-line store. I ordered it for Valentine's Day but it didn't get here in time.' She looked around, threading her fingers through her writer's plume necklace. 'I think that's it. You really don't know what he's up to?'

'All he's said for the last week is you two will be incommunicado for the next sixty-four hours.'

Meredeth gave a little hop of excitement. 'I can't wait to see what he has planned.'

They took her suitcase downstairs, enjoying a cup of tea and the Friday-night episode of _Jeopardy_, Meredeth eagerly ticking down the minutes. At precisely eight-oh-seven, the door opened and Meredeth felt her heart leap in her chest when she saw her man walk in looking very sexy and dangerous in his black leather jacket, black shirt and dark jeans. He'd gotten his crew-cut freshly shorn and when she crossed to kiss him, she could smell the expensive aftershave he saved only for special occasions on his skin.

'Hey you,' she said, giving him a warm, seductive kiss.

'Hey yourself. You packed?'

'All set.'

'Thanks again for house-sitting for us, Lanie,' Esposito said, unable to keep the grin off his face. He was an _us_ now when referring to home. With a quick move he picked up Meredeth's suitcase as Lanie strolled over to the door to see them off.

'Have fun you guys.'

Meredeth followed Esposito out to the street where her new car was parked, saw he'd already loaded his suitcase in after getting off work. They chatted about their day, excitement electric in the air; Meredeth finally cracked when they hit the Holland Tunnel. 'Okay, I give. Where are we going?'

'Remember when you booked us a night at the cabin but you had to cancel it? I made a few calls, and we are getting one of the suites for a regular room price.'

'Seriously?' Meredeth's voice was a squeak of delight.

'Yeah. We've had a busy couple of weeks, there hasn't been as much you-and-me time as we're used to and since it is our six months tomorrow, I figured we can take a little getaway somewhere we can order room-service all weekend and spend the rest of the time naked as possible.'

'Good thing I packed our toy box.'

Esposito glanced over at her, caught her wiggling eyebrows, and floored the gas pedal.

* * *

'Whoa, babe, check this place out!'

Meredeth turned in a little circle as they entered the main room of their suite. The wide glass sliding doors offered a gorgeous view of the Hudson River Valley, all brown and green with new shoots beginning to pop out. There was a large fire place in marbled slate tiles, and the ash tables in the sitting area were more than likely carved from the trees found in the woods outside. She popped her head into the bathroom, and saw there was a step-down tub, separate shower with smoked glass enclosure and a double-wide sink as well as vanity mirror.

'Javi, there is a jacuzzi tub in here!'

'Forget the tub, come check out this bedroom!'

She tugged along her luggage-on-wheels, left it by the door when she saw the space before her; calling it a 'bedroom' seemed so common. The bed itself was a king-sized oak canopy bed with sapphire blue linens, a matching table on either side upon which sat old-fashioned Tiffany lamps. An armoire-entertainment unit combo faced the bed from the opposite wall. A complimentary basket of fruit and champagne waited nearby.

'If I'd known about this, I wouldn't have canceled our weekend,' Meredeth commented, picking up the champagne and setting it on the top of the bureau.

'Actually, that one was me. I asked them to put that in here for us since we were celebrating an anniversary.'

She turned to him, put her hands on his hips to pull him close as she kissed him. 'Seems you thought of everything,' she murmured in a seductive whisper. 'But you're not the only one with a few surprises. Why don't you get comfortable while I put on something not so comfy and way more sexy?'

When she disappeared with her suitcase out of the room, Esposito stripped down to the black silk boxers he'd treated himself to when he'd organized this little getaway, and for a moment, just sat and thought. Six months. Six months since he'd met Meredeth to see a movie, and she'd worn that black shirt and hogged the popcorn, a move he'd turned to his advantage to hold her hand for two hours straight. The need to touch her hadn't faded in the slightest; rather it had been her touch that had gotten him through some bad days, whether it was simply her hand on his or making love with her until the small hours of the morning. Since Christmas, when he'd told her he loved her, it had been nearly impossible to get a decent night's sleep without her nearby. And even more amazing, she'd fallen just as hard for him. She made him snacks when he had to work nights, sent him naughty texts, held his hand when a bad case got too far under his skin. She'd become so important, so integral to his life he couldn't fathom what it'd be like without her.

And he never intended to find out.

'Javi?' She wandered into the bedroom, wearing her kimono, her hair tousled like they'd already begun to seduce each other. 'You might want to lie down on that bed.'

'Oh really?' When she merely arched an eyebrow, he complied, laying on his side so he could see her. 'Why's that?'

'So you won't pass out.'

When she unbelted the kimono, he realized she'd spoken nothing but the truth - had he still been standing, he'd more than likely have hit the deck. She'd put on, bar none, the sexiest lingerie she'd ever picked out for them: amethyst satin and lace that didn't even cover the essentials; the shelf bra she wore cut low on her breasts so they were more uncovered than covered, and the matching panties were hardly more than string around her hips. And god save him, she'd added a garter in the matching colour on her right thigh. He felt his body respond immediately, the blood pooling into his lap.

'Holy mother of God, Mere,' he breathed as she walked toward him, those blue eyes of hers never leaving his face. 'Are you trying to kill me?'

'No, just make you very, very hot.' She'd reached him, and punctuated each word with a kiss. 'Did it work?'

His only response was to pull her down on top of him so she could feel it, rolling her so she was underneath him, Esposito trailed a finger down her neck, over one shoulder to slide the thin band of satin away and repeated the process on the other one. With the care of a man seducing his virgin bride he lowered his mouth to her skin, planting soft teasing kisses on her clavicle, her neck, all the way back up to her jaw. Her lips were sweet and yielding under his, not at all frantic but languid and slow, telling him there was no rush right now.

Meredeth ran her fingers over the back of his neck, down to his shoulders as he kissed her. Could it really only have been six months? Was that how long it had taken for him to become so vital to her? No, of course not - that had happened long before tonight. There had never been anyone to treat her with such sweetness and passion at the same time. She knew she'd pretty much given up on the idea she'd find anyone, then _this_. This beautiful, tough, passionate man, who thought of her as his personal Aphrodite she couldn't live without.

'Javi,' she sighed, 'I love you. I love you so much.'

'I love you too, Mere.' He raised himself onto his elbows so he could see her eyes; they'd gone so dark with anticipation they were nearly black. 'Let me show you.'

He reached behind her back to unsnap the excuse for a bra she was wearing, tossed aside the bit of lace so he could run the flat of his palm over that silken skin, down the valley between her breasts to just about her navel and back up. His hand drifted to the side to cup her breast, that perfect handful of her, the pebble of her nipple at the crook of his thumb. He watched her eyes glaze, then close as he moved the pad of his thumb back and forth over her, eliciting a satisfied little moan from her. His other hand traced up the curve of her torso to the other one, making her arch her hips into his. He knew her body, knew her system would beg him to go faster, so he deliberately kept his pace slow, almost lazy, like the arousal was the afterthought of having his hands on her body. He lowered his mouth to the rising curve of her breast, giving it the same treatment he'd given the rest of her body and because he knew she wouldn't expect it now, darted his tongue out to flick over her nipple.

Meredeth let out a little gasp as she felt his mouth on her body, everything inside going tight then loose. Here, this was his magic, she never knew what to expect from him at any given time in bed and the constant Rorschach of his moves made it all the more exciting. She felt herself open her thighs a little more to allow him better space, as she ran her hands down his back to his ass and pulled him tight against her. The solid length of him she felt through the silk made her tingle, that she could make him feel like that was an intoxicating power.

He felt drunk, from the taste and touch and scent of her skin - cucumber soap and French perfume; he was glad she hadn't added coconut into that mix or he'd have been on the slab before he could do anything. With gentle hands he managed to tug the excuse for panties she wore over her hips and tossed them away on top of her bra, running his hands over her thighs. They weren't the most toned but the skin was soft and smooth, and she knew how to use them; above all else, they were part of Meredeth. He paused a moment, rising onto his knees to better shed off his boxers, then came back to her and indulged himself by tasting those thighs, kissing his way up the length of them until he was a whisper away from her center. He traced his tongue over the little hollow of her thigh before tasting her.

She thought she was going to pass out, so sweet and tender were his movements that so desperately contrasted the electric bolts he was sending ricocheting through every nerve ending. The fingers of one hand gripped the duvet tightly while the others feather over his head, her hips beginning to move rhythmically against him. Now, she didn't hold back as she let a full-throated moan escape her lips, to let him know just how _good_ it felt. She could feel the orgasm build, her breath now coming in sobs but he kept his pace the same, deliberately drawing it out of her like a secret until she cried out his name as it exploded through her like heat lightening. He lapped at her until she went lax, swiping his hand across his mouth when he moved up her body. Threading her fingers through his, he raised their joined hands above her head.

'Mere.' Her name was a murmur on his lips, as he slid into her to find her wet and warm and welcoming. 'Look at me.'

She focused her eyes on his, the flecks of gold in the warm chocolate brown of them like little fires as he began to move inside her. 'Yes.'

He watched her face as she began to move with him, matching him stroke for delicious stroke. Six months, he thought again, of this woman, this Danish angel he'd found. His mouth found hers, covered it as each thrust inside his lover drew a little groan of satisfied anticipation from her. As she clenched around him, he tore himself away so he could tell her just how much she meant to him.

'I love you. Only you, Mere.' He said it again, and again, as he saw the orgasm flicker over her face, then through her body as she tensed and trembled under his.

She said it back as that paralyzing ecstasy took over. There was no thought now, only sensation. 'I love you. Only you.'

Esposito closed his eyes as he heard her say back to him, again and again, until he turned his face into her throat, inhaling deep the scent of her - his Meredeth - and let himself fly.

They lay there, still and entwined for what seemed an eternity. Esposito could have happily slept the entire night like that, hearing Meredeth's heart thundering against her ribs as they both drew in gulping breaths. Finally, he turned to look at her face, relaxed and satisfied and happy.

'Happy six months, us,' he managed to get out.

She brushed her fingertips down his cheek. 'Happy six months us, indeed. I didn't bring your present with me, though.'

'You mean that get-up wasn't it?'

'Hee, no.' Shifting slightly, Meredeth angled her head to watch his face. He always looked so peaceful and satisfied whenever they finished making love, she thought. 'I got you a Cafe Roma cappuccino maker. You can your coffee with you in the mornings, since you're now living a little farther from the station.'

'Well, then it'll go perfectly with your cabinet.'

'Cabinet?'

'Friend of mine from the old neighbourhood, he's a carpenter and I got him to make you some top-of-the-line casing for your DVD collection. I know how much you hated leaving the other ones in your apartment when you moved.'

'Aren't we a pair. Some couples give each other jewelery or watches for their six months, we get coffee makers and shelving units.'

Esposito ran his hand over her stomach. 'And we wouldn't have it any other way, would we?'

'Not a chance. I could go for something that champers now, though.'

With a grin, he popped up to uncork the bottle and pour two flutes. Passing her a glass, he bent to pick up the bits of lingerie he'd tossed aside and rubbed the soft fabric between his fingers.

'So, where exactly did you get that stuff?' he asked in a husky voice.

'I ordered it from Frederick's of Hollywood. I thought about wearing something a little less slutty tonight but it seems to have worked just fine, and besides there's always tomorrow for the other stuff,' she said with a grin, enjoying how he spluttered into his own drink.

'You mean there's more?' When she merely nodded, Esposito only shook his head. 'I'll be dead by Sunday morning, but I will die a happy, satisfied man.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	24. Click: April 9

Esposito sauntered into the precinct, enjoying its early morning murmur of activity, with a stack of magazines in one arm; when he dropped them on Beckett's desk she gave a little jump.

'Good morning, Detective Beckett.' He practically sang it as he took the top copy and put it on his boss' desk, sipping the coffee he'd made with his brand-new cappuccino maker, thank you very much.

Beckett barely turned a hair. 'Why are we so happy this early? Meredeth give you a side of sugar in the shower?'

'Check it out.' Esposito gave the magazine cover a little tap. 'That's my baby.'

Beckett gave him the obligatory eye-roll before picking up the copy of _Bombshell_ magazine and whistling appreciatively. Meredeth was, indeed on the cover of the magazine, in dark jeans, crimson lipstick and a black top showing off a bosom that would make a blind man say boy-howdy. Overlaying her thighs was the text **Meredeth Coleman - The Lady Behind Lady Hawk**.

'Congrats, Esposito, she looks beautiful.'

'No, a Harley Davidson is beautiful. This,' he corrected, picking up a copy of the magazine, 'is going to be every straight man and bi-curious woman's dream girl. And the best part, I'm in there too.'

'She mentions you in the interview?' Beckett asked, taking the opportunity for a refill on her coffee, with Esposito following her to the break-room.

'They even included a photo of the two of us.'

Beckett gave him another eye-roll as she walked back to her desk with her. 'If I promise to read it, will you stop following me? Ryan's going with Honey-Milk to the baby-doc's this morning so I'm a man down until ten which means you're paper-trailing for two.'

'Absolutely. Page forty-two.'

'Fine.' Beckett set her mug down with a thump. 'Now, I need you to-'

'Hey superstar!' Richard Castle's voice was just as sunny as Esposito's face as he strolled off the elevator, his overcoat slung on his arm and a smile wide as the Grand Canyon. 'Stopped at the newsstand by the subway when a certain magazine cover caught my eye.'

Esposito tossed him a copy. 'Oh, you mean this little honey?'

'That would be it.' Castle, ever the showman, made a flourish of opening the magazine to the article and cleared his throat. 'One of the most creative minds in literature today, it isn't hard to see why Meredeth Coleman would earn such respect from the male-dominated world of graphic novels. As brilliant as she is charming, my conversation with her was one of the most entertaining interviews I've done during my stint at _Bombshell_. And it certainly didn't hurt she came with those big blue eyes - or other big beautiful assets - either,' he read, smirking with glee the entire time. 'Talk about a love letter to your girlfriend.'

'Wait until you see this.' Clearing his throat, Esposito turned the page and got a rush of pure male satisfaction when he saw Castle's eyes bug out in his head.

'Damn, Detective.'

'I know.'

'I mean, _da-amn_, Detective.'

'So she's in her bra,' Beckett commented blithely, yanking the magazine out of her boyfriend's hands. 'Doesn't mean you two should...'

She trailed off as she saw the full page picture; the magazine had used the black and white photos of Esposito and Meredeth in each other's arms as the profile picture to go with the interview.

'Damn, Detective,' she said, echoing Castle's words while he smirked his victory. 'You've been working out.'

'Thanks, boss.'

Castle gave him a friendly swat on the arm. 'I keep telling you, you need a better tailor. Then Meredeth will have good reason for not keeping it in her pants.'

'Yeah, I'll get on that when the city starts paying its lowly second-grades the same wages as a best-selling author.' Esposito rounded his desk as Beckett and Castle continued to read the article when his phone began to ring. 'Esposito.'

'Dude!'

'Hey, big daddy!'

On the other end of the line, Ryan's voice was eager as a Trekkie at Comic-Con. 'Saw the cover on the way to the doc's. No wonder you two boink like bunnies.'

'Says the guy who knocked his wife up in a bathroom on Hallowe'en. Is there a reason you called other than to bust my chops?'

'Just letting you know I'll be there in about twenty minutes, I'm saying bye-bye to my baby mama.'

'Alright, we'll see you soon bro.'

'Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on.'

* * *

It was nearly nine when Meredeth left the Elevation Animation Studio building. She'd stopped to fish in her purse for her metro pass when she heard a voice beside her.

'Excuse me, miss. Detective Esposito, NYPD, have you seen this woman?'

When a copy of _Bombshell_ appeared under her nose, she giggled, looked up at her boyfriend who appeared to be practically glowing with pride. 'Depends, what do you want her for?'

'Her boyfriend is just frantic to get her back home, show her how proud he is of her.'

'Are you sure he didn't do that last night, when he saw the preview copy?'

'We like to cover all our bases.' Esposito offered her his arm. 'We're just a few blocks from my house in Chelsea, and it's a nice night. Perhaps we can continue this while you walk me home?'

Giggling, she looped her arm through his. 'So how was your day? Full of wolf-whistles and offers to be the stripper at the next NYPD bachelorette party?'

'Surprisingly, not too many people gave me grief. What about you?'

'What about me what?'

Esposito gave her a little nudge in the shoulder as they turned the corner onto Seventh to head north towards home. 'Any of those computer nerds think they're boss is super-smexy now?'

'If they did, I didn't hear it. You know computer nerds scatter like roaches when a woman walks in the room. Smexy?' she asked, laughing at his word choice.

'I heard Alexis use it once to mock her dad, and I've been waiting for a chance to use it. You eaten yet?'

'What did you have in mind?'

'I know it's not an autograph signing, but how does Petrelli's strike you?'

'Mmmm, sounds delish. Oh, wait, we have to stop.' Meredeth halted at a twenty-four seven. 'I want to grab a couple more copies, just for posterity's sake. When I'm pregnant or just old and grey, I can take them out and go, damn I was hot.'

'I can assure you, pregnant, or old and grey, you will still be a bombshell. No pun intended,' he tacked on as they went into the store. It was narrow as an alley and boasted almost every possible magazine in print. He saw the leather-faced Filipino man behind the counter give him a curt nod, obviously making him for a cop, as he followed Meredeth over to the racks.

When she'd made her selection, they lined up behind two men Meredeth would classify as type-one ass-hats: fake-baked jocks wearing too-tight polo-shirts in pastel colours with the collars popped, sunglasses on the napes of their necks despite the fact it was way past sundown, and so much hair-gel she figured a round from Esposito's gun would barely make a dent in their heads. When she saw the magazine one of them was carrying, she elbowed her man in the ribs and jerked her head towards them; he smiled back at her.

Then the ass-hats opened their mouths.

'Dude, you're not seriously going to buy that, are you?'

'Why not? I like her books and she's pretty hot.'

'Yeah, for a heifer. I mean, look at that body, it's hideous. She should go live in India, they worship cows there.'

Esposito could actually feel Meredeth deflate beside him and it made him want to kick both ginos in the capped teeth; being a cop he had to check himself from doing things like that. Instead, he clenched his hand into an impotent fist as he looked at Meredeth, saw the flat look in her eyes, as she shook her head at him while the two ass-hats continued to shred the photo to pieces.

'Oh, lord, have mercy! Why would anyone want to see that naked? It's like watching a lava lamp!'

'He's probably just a stand-in, man, girl like that would never score a brother like him.'

Esposito had heard enough. Giving Meredeth a quick kiss, he stepped forward and prepared to defend his girl's honour. 'Scuse me, boys,' he said, all fierce politeness, 'but I couldn't help overhearing your comments on my _girlfriend's_ picture.'

One looked at the black and white picture and back up. 'Hey, you're the dude in the photo! How many showers you take after snapping pics with that walrus?'

'You best watch your mouth, boy.' Esposito jabbed his finger at Meredeth's photo. 'That's my woman in the magazine, and I don't appreciate you talking shit about her.'

'Javi, it's alright.' Seeing him stepping in to defend her without hesitation had snapped Meredeth from the fog of hurt their words had caused; now that she'd found her voice again, her temper was kicked into high gear. Rolling up her sleeves, literally, she stepped up beside Esposito and clapped her hands together between her breasts like she was praying. As she began to speak, she saw the light of recognition dawn on their faces. 'Thank you for your observations gentlemen, it's nice to know the American Guild of Douche-Baggery's charter members aren't letting the team down. Tell me, do you all have your own copies of The Situation's autograph, or do you just pass one around at the weekly meetings before your big group jerk-off?'

When neither said anything, Meredeth narrowed her eyes to slits. 'Now run along. You don't want to miss the next episode of _Jersey Shore_. How else would you continue your education on being such upstanding class-one assholes?'

Both of them tossed their magazines on the counter, paid and made a hasty exit, Meredeth's eyes following them out the door before she heaved out a great sigh. 'I'm sorry, sir,' she told the man behind the counter, setting her copies of the magazine on the counter. 'Didn't mean to be so rude in your store.'

'Are you kidding? I should be thanking you. Those two come in almost every day and making disgusting remarks every time they line up. You're the first person I've seen stand her ground against them. And you too, Officer,' he added, nodding at Esposito.

'It's Detective and thanks, though I think Meredeth gets most of the credit.'

'Just don't upload the security tape to You-Tube, please. My agent's going through a nasty divorce and she can't handle anymore stress.'

'Of course not.' The attendant took her money, rang the purchase through the cash register as he looked past Meredeth's shoulder. 'I think you've got a trio of fans there.'

'Hmm?' Meredeth turned around and saw three people in their early twenties - two guys, one girl - behind them in line, all clutching copies of _Bombshell _and looking slightly dumbfounded. 'Oh, sorry, I'm finished here.'

'You're Meredeth Coleman,' the taller of the two boys breathed in an awestruck voice. He held out his magazine like he was offering a sacrifice to a pagan god. 'Can...Can we have your autograph?'

Her heart melted into butter, the perfect salve after wanting to beat the previous purchasers of her cover-story with their own shoes. 'Of course. What's your name?'

'I'm Jay, and that's Nate and Ivy,' Jay said, tapping his toes on the spot as Meredeth dug her Bookworm 702 out of her purse. 'That was frickin' awesome the way you laid into those guys. And don't believe them. You're really hot,' he added on a blush, sending Esposito a baleful look, recognizing him also from the magazine. 'Sorry bro, but she is.'

'No argument from me.'

'There you are.' Meredeth finished signing all three magazines and was recapping her pen when Ivy pulled her phone from her purse.

'Could we maybe get a picture, too? I'll post it on Y-Frog so you can tweet about it,' she offered.

'Sure.'

'I'll do the honours.' Holding out his hand, Esposito took the phone and snapped a few photos for the adoring fans. 'Everyone say 'ass-hat'!'

When the impromptu signing session was done and they were back on the street heading home, Meredeth held his hand tightly in hers. 'Thank you, for back there, defending me against those guys.'

'That's my job, to make sure no one puts that miserable look I saw on your face.'

'You don't feel, like emmasculated that I jumped in and finished them off myself or something, do you?'

'No way, in fact I was almost tempted to snag a bag of pretzels and watch you leg-drop them with your words. Better than UFC Fight Night.'

Meredeth bit her lower lip as she grinned. 'So, Detective...Esposito was it? Just how were you planning to get this information about your cover-girl from me?'

'Any way I can. That information is vital to my investigation.'

'My memory isn't the greatest. What if it takes all night?'

'NYPD, we never sleep.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	25. Click: April 16

_Hello readers! This was an unexpected chapter, but it has been one I've absolutely enjoyed writing. I highly recommend listening to the song 'And Then He Kissed Me' by the Crystals either before or during the reading of this chapter (if you search for the song on Youtube, type 'the crystals then he kissed me' in the search bar, click on the first video that is listed in the search results), because it really puts everything in context. As always leave your love in review form ! _

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When Esposito got home after the first day in court for the Simone Greer pre-trial proceedings, he was greeted with the smell of something delicious and the sound of mumbling from the living room.

'But if I do that, then what will they fight about here? That's the million dollar question.'

Furrowing his brow, he toed off his shoes and wandered in to find the coffee table had been shoved out of the way to make room for larges sheet of chart paper filled with quotations and stick figures and rudimentary floor plans all in different coloured markers. She was resting on her knees, tapping a Sharpie against her palm as she stared intensely at the pages before her.

'Hey, Mere, how was-'

'Shhh!' She flapped a hand at him without looking up, then drew brackets around a bulleted list, made a few notations and added directional arrows to move whatever it was. With a sigh, she thew the marker down, and as she rocked back, Esposito saw the smudges of fatigue under her eyes. She lifted her eyelids and gave him a tired smile. 'Hey baby.'

'Hi.' He walked the long way around the couch, crouched down behind her to see the chart papers from her perspective and put his hands on her shoulders in a light massage. 'You look stressed.'

'Nothing earth shattering, at least in this realm of reality. In the fictional one I've created for Tabitha and Tonio, I'm in hell.' Frustrated, she raked her fingers through her hair. 'I've tried everything I usually do for writer's block. I did my dance cardio, played internet backgammon, I've got soup on the simmer, even took all my DVD's off the shelf, reordered them and then put them all back the way I had the first time.'

'Well, here's a thought. Take a break away from this and we'll eat, and you'll have the house to yourself when I head out to Castle's poker night.'

'Oh that's right. I don't have anything made for you to take with, but-'

'Hey, hey.' Esposito wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in for a hug and onto her bottom. 'I don't want you thinking that because you work mostly from home, you should be the little fifties housewife. I don't think that in the slightest. Your work is just as vital to you as mine is to me. Come on.'

He pulled her to her feet, walked with her into the kitchen and nudged her into a chair. 'Now, what exactly is this?' he asked, sniffing the contents of the stock-pot simmering on the stove.

'Sweet potato and chicken soup.'

'And what stage is it at?'

'The vegetables are simmering in stock and the sweet potatoes are in the oven.' Her head felt so heavy, she just wanted to curl into a ball and sleep for a day or two. 'Not much to do but wait another ten minutes.'

'Okay then.' Leaving the stove as it was, lest he breathe on it the wrong way and it went to shit, Esposito instead went to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of spiced rum and two glasses. He fixed them each a drink and nudged hers toward her on the table. 'So what has you all knotted up?'

'I'm trying to figure out when Tonio, my dirty-cop-turned-mole, should tell Meredeth he's found out that Little Sister's death was actually an ordered hit by Sonny Chiba. And no matter where I put it, it just doesn't feel right. It's not flowing, it's like cut and paste.'

'Why did Sonny Chiba want Little Sister dead?'

'Because Little Sister was one of his junior lieutenants sent to get close to Lady Hawk so she could try and learn her real identity. Only once Little Sister learned who Lady Hawk really was, she couldn't bring herself to turn over the information to Sonny, so Sonny orchestrated the warehouse kidnapping and had her killed.'

'And Tabitha-slash-Lady Hawk didn't know this?'

'No, she didn't.'

'All due respect, since you're the writer,Tabitha is a mega-computer brain. How would she not know about this already?'

'Grief makes people do strange things. Little Sister was Lady Hawk's first real friend in the city, so her death is something that she isn't interested in digging up.'

'Ah.' He knew from experience what that was like; the spectre of the whole discovery that his old partner Ike Thornton was alive and looking to clear his name had threw him way off stride for a long couple of months. 'So does he tell her before or after they start knockin' nasties?'

'Well that's the trouble because both have their points, don't they? If it's before, I have a great set-up for an angry-passionate lovemaking scene. If it's after, I have a great setup for a full-blown Hurricane Tabitha scene.'

She left her glass on the table, only half-finished, as she went to the cupboard to pull out her stick blender to continue fixing her soup. 'The problem is, Tabitha has almost no reason to trust Tonio on an emotional level; he's a dirty cop who has turned evidence for Internal Affairs, and the fewer people who know about that the better chance he will make it out alive. But all Tabitha can see is that he's told one lie after another and doesn't know what to believe whenever he speaks to her, which is incredibly difficult for her because every instinct in her body wants to believe him and yet...Bottom line here is, when she goes to bed with him, the emotional investment is freakin' huge along with the very real chance of being betrayed.'

It was fascinating to watch her mind at work, he thought as he watched her add the sweet potatoes and blend the soup. Particularly, it seemed, when she was stuck on an idea she still could argue it six ways from Sunday. It was why he liked telling her about his work. The way she could take a little bit of information and work it like artist's clay never ceased to fascinate him. Even when it meant she sounded like she had multiple personalities as she dialogued out the scene while making dinner or washing her hair in the shower. But his job, too, involved filling in the blanks and erasing it when the evidence didn't match up.

'Well, sometimes over-thinking it does more harm than good. What's your gut saying?'

'He should tell her before. Tabitha is already feeling used and to have him keep that information from her after sex, it would destroy her. For a variety of reasons.'

'How would he do it?'

Meredeth twisted the blender's blade off the body, tossed it in the sink before taking out the leftover chicken and dicing it to add to the pot. 'It would be her place, when they're both off work. She's invited him over for dinner, but she's on edge because he pulls the 'we need to talk' routine. He tells her, quick, blunt, to the point, like he's giving his report to his supervising officer.'

'What's Tabitha's reaction?'

'She's upset her not with him, but with Sonny, with herself for not knowing any better and more importantly, that her whole history with Little Sister is rewritten. Tonio, instead of becoming the villain, comforts her and points out that nothing has been rewritten, as the whole reason Little Sister was killed was because she had to make a choice and she chose loyalty to Lady Hawk over Sonny. He comforts her and as hard as she tries to resist him - not physically, you understand - she just wants to be held. Cheesy as it sounds, there's a lot to be said for the supportive nature of an embrace when you're upset.'

'I'm not disagreeing with you. Why do you think I keep my arms around you a little longer when I've had a bad day?'

It was true; how long he held on to her when he got home and she was already there had become her barometer for how good or bad his day had been. Glad he was able to understand that, Meredeth picked up her cutting board of diced chicken, slid the meat into the pot and turned down the burn to half its temperature. 'Anyways, they're on her couch, and he's just holding her close, and then he gives her a kiss.'

'Not their first one?'

'No, no, that was way earlier, Kristof has already gotten that one drawn, inked and lettered. That involved them squaring off in his office until they were nose-to-nose and it ended in them kissing like they were going to swallow each other whole. This is different, still passionate because these two light sparks off each other that could blow up the Chrysler Building, but sweet, tender even. And then, well, chicka-bam.'

'Such a way with words,' Esposito laughed, finishing off his drink. He got up from the table, took out bowls and silverware from the cupboards while she stirred the soup. 'And, by the way, you just solved your problem.'

'Huh, fancy that. Guess I better give Kristof a call, let him know he doesn't need to be up the rest of the night waiting for me to make up my mind.' Shutting off the burning, she looked around, patted her pockets. 'You haven't seen my phone around, have you?'

'Can't say I did, babe. Here, follow the ringing.' He pulled out his cell, dialed her number. From somewhere in the living room, he heard the tinny strains of a doo-wop song, watched her literally follow her ear towards the sound and pull her iPhone from under a pile of papers. She hit the button to stop it from ringing, stuffed it into her pants pocket. 'What?' she asked, when she saw his wounded look.

'Why don't I get a better ringtone on your phone?'

'What?'

Esposito pressed a few buttons and Meredeth's personalized ringtone peep-peeped out the small speakers. 'You get a Beach Boys song and I get a Diana Ross knock-off?'

'Actually it's The Crystals and that happens to be one of my favourite songs. Haven't I told you this story?' When he merely shook his head, it was her turn to nudge him into a chair as she ladled steaming, fragrant soup into bowls. 'It's a little cheesy, so brace yourself.'

'I work with Richard Castle, King of Cheesy, on a regular basis.'

'Okay, well, when I was about nine, my mother had this boyfriend and every time after he called, she started singing that song so I asked her about it. And she told me that it was playing the first time they'd danced together, at a friend's party, and the first time he'd held her in his arms and kissed her, she heard that song playing in her mind. For some reason, that really stuck with me, that a simple kiss could be so powerful. After she died, and I was in high school, all the girls around me and Chin-'

'Chin?' he interrupted.

'Yeah, Natalia Fedochinski, but no one ever called her that, she was always Chin. Anyways, whenever they'd talk about the various sexual acts they'd perform with their boyfriends or the stuff they thought was too nasty for that, and little ol' me didn't have much to contribute, Chin made me feel better by telling me the best first kiss in the world would make me sing that song. We'd nicknamed this make-believe boyfriend the Music Man, our code around those bitchy blonde girls so they'd think I was talking about a boy in a band.'

Meredeth was surprised as she felt a blush spring into her cheeks; it was the first time she'd done so with him in longer than she could remember. 'The night of our first date, when we kissed for the first time by the subway stop, after you left and I caught the metro to Yorkville, I couldn't stop singing that song the entire way home. I called Chin up and told her I'd met the Music Man; she shrieked so loudly I had to hold the phone away from my ear, and as a little yea-for-you, she gifted me that from Audiko so I could use it as your phone number's personal ring-tone.' She brought the bowls to the table, passed him one. 'Alright, go ahead, mock your big corn-pop of a girlfriend.'

'I think...' Esposito said slowly, taking her hand in his and threading their fingers together, 'you are the sweetest woman I've ever known.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. Now let's eat. I'm starving and I have a poker game to go and win soon.'

Half an hour later, when they were finished and he was putting his jacket on to leave for Castle's, Meredeth walked into the living room with her laptop and a mug of tea. She set both aside so she could go to the door and give him a kiss to send him on his way. 'You taking the metro or Cleo?'

'Cleo. I'm not drinking tonight since I'm on call tomorrow.'

'Okay. Remember, Castle likes to get yappy when he's bluffing so he can distract you.'

'I'm not going to lose all my float cash for the week on a card game.'

'That's what you said the last time.'

Esposito sent her a grin. 'And the week before that it was Ryan's turn. Maybe it'll be Beckett or Castle himself tonight.'

'A boy can dream. Gimme one for good luck,' she said to him, tapping her index finger under her lips, pouting them prettily.

He knew what she'd expect - a quick smack before he was out the door - so he decided to surprise her. Putting his hand to the small of her back, he drew her in and gently laid his lips on hers. It was slow, soft, like ice cream melting under the July sun; his tongue nudged her lips part and bumped against hers, making her sigh a happy little sound.

'I'll be in around midnight. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Meredeth watched him jog down the eight steps to the curb, hop in the nifty little Nissan they shared and head towards Eighth Avenue. With a giggle, she closed the door Feeling in the mood for a glass of wine to go with her work for the rest of the night. As she walked back to the kitchen, under her breath she began to sing, 'Well he walked up to me and he asked me if I wanted to dance.'

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R&R&Enjoy!


	26. Click: April 19

'Can't you tell me what we're doing?'

'If I told you, it wouldn't really be a present for you would it?'

'I already told you, I don't need a big fuss for my present. You wearing that little Wonder-Woman teddy from Frederick's of Hollywood with champagne and some kind of chocolate cake will do me just fine.'

Meredeth laughed as she fiddled with the car radio. They'd been on the road for a solid four hours, but thankfully, they were approaching their destination. Esposito, love her of her life, Meredeth learned, was not a good traveler when he was not the driver. She wondered if it was the male ego or the cop in him that was winning the battle for being such a suck. At least he couldn't try and correct her MapQuest directions, since he had no clue where they were heading.

'Mere, I love you, but this is my only day off this week, and we could be doing much better things instead of driving up to Who-Knows-Where, New York. Not to mention my birthday isn't until next Friday.'

'True say but this is kind of a one-time only deal. I didn't have choice on arranging the date, so stop pouting and keep your eyes peeled for Hangar Road.'

Esposito shifted in his seat. 'I'm not pouting,' he mumbled.

'I bet you were a real treat on family road trips.'

'Oh, are you kidding me? I just wanted to read to pass the miles; Lili was the terror. I was a shy kid, took me a while to become all this,' he said, gesturing to himself, then knocked his knuckles against the window. 'Hangar Road, next right. You're really not cluing me in?'

'Not a chance.'

A few minutes later, Esposito snapped out of his funk as he saw they were approaching a military base. He sat up a little straighter as he saw all the buffed-up officers going through a fitness training run past their car and wondered if his jeans and polo shirt weren't so appropriate, if he'd have been better in his NYPD dress blues.

'Hand me my purse, babe.'

Not wanting to question what they were doing, he passed her the swimming-pool sized bag, lifting an eyebrow when she pulled out two laminated ID badges. 'Are you turning into Tabitha Stroud on me?'

She only smiled at him as she drove to the gated entrance. A strapping, square jawed young man in his utility fatigues stopped them, clipboard in hand. Esposito couldn't help noticing how Meredeth's relaxed posture changed into the business-like manner he'd seen her use when she'd come to the precinct for her deposition; he'd also sat up a little straighter, removed his sunglasses out of respect.

'Afternoon, ma'am, sir,' he said in a no-nonsense voice that still carried a southern twang. 'State the nature of your business.'

'I'm Meredeth Coleman, this is Javier Esposito, we have an appointment to see Major Leonard Potter,' she responded in an equally brisk tone and presented him the ID badges.

The officer scanned his clipboard, looked at their ID cards. 'Very good ma'am, if you could pull your vehicle through and to the right hand side, Major Potter will accompany you in your vehicle to your appropriate destination.'

Esposito knew better than to laugh at the man's distinct pronunciation of the letter 'h' in the word 'vehicle'; the momentary distraction having passed, he turned to Meredeth, who'd pulled her sunglasses from her purse and put them on, tied her hair back at the nape of her neck.

'Are we going to play with explosives?' he asked.

'No, my little pyro.'

'Are we-'

He was cut off when another officer, this one a mixed-race man in his late forties approached the car. His skin was the colour of maple syrup, and his wiry black hair was brushed with silver at the temples. He had the tough, battle-worn look Esposito associated with veteran soldiers, but he also looked vaguely familiar. To his utter amazement, Meredeth popped out of the driver's side and gave him a strong handshake before hopping in the backseat while the officer took his place at the wheel.

'Major Leo Potter. You must be the birthday boy.'

Esposito blushed a deep crimson at being called 'boy' when he was both turning thirty-seven and the man addressing him so was an enlisted Air Force officer. 'In a manner of speaking. Javier Esposito.'

'Little Daks here called me up, said she wanted to do something special for you.' Potter gunned the motor of the Nissan and they bulletted their way down various roads on the massive base. 'Couldn't turn down a favour to an old friend.'

'Old friend?'

'The major was one of the pilots on my mother's chopper,' Meredeth explained from the back seat.

'We ran medical evacuations, get the injured guys out of the mobile field hospitals and back to the rear for full treatment,' Potter explained. 'Jake Downey and I were the pilots, Manny Esperenzo was our door gunner and Freja Dakkars Coleman was our flight nurse.'

Esposito nodded as the light dawned; he remembered where he'd seen the man now. There was a photograph in their living room of Meredeth's mother with her flight crew, standing in front of a helicopter. It had also proudly displayed the call sign AFMC-112 that was identical to Meredeth's tattoo. Taking her hand, he held it tight as Potter continued speaking.

'Daks was one of the best nurses I knew. She never took shit from the guys, especially the ones who knew she was a mother. Anytime they whined about a little pain, all she had to do was play the female card and they shut up pretty quickly. I remember this one time, guy took some shrapnel to the gut and carrying on how he was so tough, didn't even feel it, and Daks just turned to him and said, "Officer Grey, I hear the closest thing a man can get to experiencing the agony of giving birth is getting shot in the gut, right? Well, I pushed an eight-pound baby girl into this world with no pain meds whatsoever, so the next time you say your a big tough guy, I'll stop your morphine drip and you'll get a taste of how a woman in labour feels." Guy didn't have much to say after that.'

'So that's where that sassy mouth of yours comes from. I knew you didn't get it from Constance,' Esposito said to Meredeth, who just grinned.

'She was so proud of being a mother, always talked to the guys we were bringing back about their families and that. One of the guys she helped bring home named his new baby girl after Daks,' Potter went on. 'And of course, when we had ceremonies here, and the like, Little Daks here was all dolled up in her pretty dresses and holding her mommy's hand. Told everyone her Loo-nen-nan mother was the best nurse in the world.'

'I had trouble with my t's when I was little.'

Esposito only shook his head, as a thought occurred. 'Meredeth said there were no survivors on her mother's chopper when she died in ninety-one. How-'

'Daks and Manny were selected for a Special Ops task force and before she'd left on her last tour, I'd told Daks and Constance that if Little Daks ever needed anything from me, she'd have it in a heartbeat, and it appears she's cashing in on that promise.'

The car was stopped outside of a pale blue hangar whose bay doors were opening as they left the Nissan. Two men in their dark blue flight suits approached, each with their helmets tucked under their arms; one was tall and lean with sharp face bones that spoke of Cherokee blood, the other several inches shorter with white-blond hair and bottle green eyes. They gave the major a jaunty salute which Potter returned.

'Meredeth, Javier, these are two of my finest men, Lieutenants Charlie Tyler and Dylan Tyco. Gentlemen, this is Meredeth Coleman, Freja Dakkars Coleman's little girl, and her boyfriend Javier Esposito.' Potter introduced them as they shook hands, then clapped his own together.' Alright, we better get you two suited up. You'll be riding with Tyler, Javier, and Little Daks will be with Lieutenant Tyco.'

'Riding?' Esposito's head whipped over to look at Meredeth, who looked very much like the cat who'd eaten a whole damn flock of canaries. 'Are you fucking serious?'

'I called Leo up a few weeks ago, told him you were into adventure stuff and would it be possible for you to come up for a test flight since your birthday was coming up. He said anything for Daks Coleman's little girl, so...happy birthday you.'

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Fifteen minutes later, decked out in flight suits and having snapped some pre-flight pictures, Esposito found himself in the hangar face to face with a beauty of jet. He still couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Meredeth had arranged for him to go on a test flight with actual Air Force pilots in an actual Air Force fighter plane. He watched as she climbed into the navigator's seat behind Tyco, the grin on her face matching his own as the pilot helped her fasten her helmet and gave her a little thump on her protected head.

'You ready to rock this?' Tyler, the tall Cherokee pilot, came up beside him and passed him a helmet.

'Let's kick the tires and light the fires.'

'You've being watching _Independance Day_, haven't you?' Tyler laughed as they mounted up into the cockpit, hooked in their equipment into the radio so they could communicate with the other plane.

'My girlfriend and I watched it last night.'

'How long you been together?'

'Just over six months. She's the best thing in my life.'

'Nice. I got one just like her at home.'

Esposito looked over to Tyco and Meredeth's jet. 'No, there's no one like her.'

As they lined up on the runway, Tyco's voice crackled over the radio. 'Good afternoon and welcome to Little Daks Airways, this is your flight director Dylan Tyco, call sign Anaconda. We will be performing a variety of manoeuvres today so keep your tray-tables and seat-backs in the upright position.'

'Anaconda recognized, this is Charlie Tyler, call sign Spock. All systems are go. Any questions before we take off?'

'Yeah, is it safe to have my girlfriend flying with a guy nicknamed Anaconda?'

'Oh, don't worry,' Tyler said, knowing his partner could hear everything. 'That's just his wishful thinking.'

'Says the guy named after a Star Trek character and we are clear here. Nothing to do but say good night, Gracie. Meredeth, care to do the honours?'

Esposito looked out the side of the canopy, saw Meredeth give him a little salute. 'Good night, Gracie.'

In a flash, the first plane was down the runway and twelve seconds later they were airborne. From the front seat, Tyler hollered, 'Let's ride, birthday-boy.'

Before Esposito could even open his mouth to respond, he felt his body slam back into the seat from the g's as they sped down the runway. In the blink of an eye, they were in the air, the base growing smaller and smaller as they went up to the desired level, did a few circling passes. Esposito laughed as watched Tyco make like his plane was hitting speed bumps beside them.

'Don't play nice because I'm a girl,' he heard Meredeth tell Tyco, 'show me what she can do.'

'You got it.'

Esposito watched as Tyco tilted the plane, zipping off as they did a spiraling barrel loop. 'We gotta do that,' he told Tyler.

'Yessir.'

The next thing he knew, he was sideways, then spinning as they spun a tight corkscrew in the air. The feeling of it, of being so high up and free was like nothing he'd ever experienced. He'd gone skydiving but that had been straight up and down; this was like roller-coasters gone wild. After they'd done loop-de-loops, flips, nosedives and other assorted tricks, Esposito felt them go into a hover pattern. He hadn't seen Meredeth and Tyco in a few minutes and vaguely wondered where they were; he didn't wonder for very long.

'Anaconda, this is Spock, we are prepared for final conflict.'

'What's final conflict?' he asked, and was roundly ignored.

'Spock what's your tilt?'

'Starboard. On my mark. Three, two, one.'

Once again, Esposito felt himself slam back into the seat as they propelled forward. Now he could see where the other plane had gone - it was right in front of them, heading towards them at the same break-neck speed. For a moment, Esposito thought he should say a Hail Mary, but at the last second his world turned ninety degrees to his right, and watched in amazement as they zipped past the other plane, Meredeth's laughing yell of delight coming through the radio very loud and clearly.

'Well done, Spock, we are now making our final approach to runway four. Be advised, Birthday-Boy's girlfriend is a screamer.'

'Acknowledged, Anaconda and don't you ever think north of your belt buckle?'

They made it safely back to earth, the two pilots who were clearly best friends bickering much in the way Esposito did with Ryan and Castle, continuing their shenanigans even after they'd pulled the jets back into the hangars and had helped their passengers out of the cockpits. Esposito ducked under the nose of the plane to see Meredeth's feet on the last step of the ladder, and because he couldn't help himself, grabbed her around the waist and spun her down to the floor.

'I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I love you. I could not have imagined a better birthday gift than that. Except maybe one,' he added with a glint in his eye.

'You say that now.' Meredeth pulled him in for a kiss, whispered in his ear as best as she could, 'I've got the Wonder-Woman teddy, a bottle of Cristal and chocolate ganache cupcakes at home.'

Esposito blinked, then turned to the pilots to shake their hands. 'Had a great time guys and thanks again, but we've got to head back to the city now.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	27. Click: April 28 A

Meredeth stretched on her back on Honey-Milk and Ryan's couch, pinching the bridge of her nose with forefinger and thumb. It had been a hellaciously long day at the studios which had gotten progressively worse, culminating with canceled dinner plans with Esposito, frustrating her to the point of snapping at everyone like a spoiled diva. She'd battled her temper into check and prayed that he wouldn't be too pissed off at her when his shift was done. At least being at Ryan's she had something to occupy her time - at six months Honey-Milk was in full baby bloom; having just started her maternity leave she'd invited Meredeth over for the pretext of a girls' night to be followed up on Meredeth's day off with baby furniture assembly. She was so tired, but so thrilled to be having a baby and Ryan was so excited he was practically glowing neon.

As she briefly wondered what her man's reaction would be if she announced she was having a baby, her cell rang, making her aching head want to cleave itself in two. Reaching behind her, she grabbed it off the end table. 'Hey baby, sorry about earlier.'

'Meredeth, it's Richard.'

Meredeth sat upright at the solemn tone in the man's voice. It lacked his usual warm humour and she felt a fist clench around her heart. She started twisting her plume charm around on its chain. 'What's happened? Why are you on Javi's phone?'

'He's was shot.'

The fist tightened. 'Is he-'

'No, not even close. He was hit in the arm, a through-and-through shot. I'm in the ambulance with him, he's on his way to Stuyvesant Memorial and he's asked you to meet him.'

Relief glimmer minimally. 'Can I talk to him?'

'He's been doped up on morphine and been given a mild sedative for transportation.' Castle took a deep breath. 'Mere, Ryan's on his way there as well. He tackled the suspect who shot Esposito through a second-story window so he's banged up from that.'

'We'll be there as soon as we can.'

Meredeth hung up, let out the breath she'd been holding in, her heart hammering in her chest. He was alive, was all she could think. He'd been shot, but he was alive. Rising from the couch, she walked down the short hallway to the master bedroom, shoved open the door to see Honey-Milk sleeping on her side in an over-sized t-shirt, a hand laying protectively over her round belly. It nearly snapped her control, but she forced herself to walk over, sit down on the bed and gently shake her friend's shoulder.

'Jenn.'

'Sleeping. Go away.'

'Sweetie, you gotta wake up.'

Honey-Milk blinked bleary eyes that focused on Meredeth's face. They cleared instantly when she saw Meredeth's face in sober lines. Like Meredeth had when Castle called, she sat upright. 'Kevin?'

'He tackled a suspect through a second story window and he wants you to meet him at the ER. I've got my car in the garage downstairs, it'll be faster than a cab.'

Honey-Milk said nothing, just stood up and tossed on a loose pair of maternity pants before grabbing her purse and keys. She hadn't missed the tightness of Meredeth's voice, knew she wasn't getting the whole story but let it slide as Meredeth manouevered the zippy little Nissan through Friday night traffic.

When they were just a few blocks away, Honey-Milk turned to look at Meredeth's profile, saw the muscles of her jaw clenched tightly. 'Mere, what aren't you telling me?'  
'It's nothing.'

'Mere, if he's hurt more than you told me, I will sit on you until your lungs are crushed like berries.'

'It's not Ryan.'

Honey-Milk cursed herself inwardly; something happened to Esposito. 'Is your guy okay?'

'I'll let your man fill you in on the details,' Meredeth replied in a low voice, afraid it wold break if she spoke at normal volume. 'I just want to see mine.'

They parked, fed the meter, and marched straight to the emergency room's check-in desk. When they got there, Meredeth felt her heart sink. She'd met the nurse at the desk before, at a church in Spanish Harlem. 'We're here to see Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito.'

'You are?'

'Jenny Ryan and Meredeth Coleman.'

Valencia Morales turned away from the screen and looked at the two women in front of her. She kept her eyes focused on Meredeth's face while she tapped at the keyboard to call up the information. 'Mrs. Ryan, your husband is in Treatment Room Two. You can go and see him. Ms. Coleman, as you are not listed on the patient's file, you'll have to wait out here.'

'Oh, no she's not,' Honey-Milk warned in a tone that left no room for negotiation. 'This is Esposito's girlfriend and he personally requested to see her.'

'I don't care if God Almighty asked to see her.' Val folded her arms over her chest. 'She isn't listed in his files.'

Meredeth flared her nostrils and literally rolled up her sleeves. 'Val, whatever personal issue you have with me, you need to put it aside. Do you see this?' She gestured to Honey-Milk's belly. 'Mrs. Ryan is growing a little Ryan. Her husband and my boyfriend are in the ER. We're about the last people you want to screw with right now, so this is going to go one of two ways. Either you let us both in to see our men or you'll have to call security. Your move.'

Val curled her lip. 'He'll never be your man, Meredeth. He was mine first and when he's tired of white pork, he'll come back to me.'

'Val, cut the shit. He asked for me and I will get in there, one way or another.'

'Fine, and I'll have your ass thrown out of here in five minutes flat.' Before she could lift the receiver to page the hospital's rent-a-cops, Val saw a tall brunette in leather boots and an NYPD windbreaker appear behind them and flashed her badge.

'Detective Kate Beckett, I'm here to see my officers Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito, and to escort these women to their rooms at my detectives' requests.'  
'As I said, Mrs. Ryan may go as she is next of kin, but Miss Coleman-'

'My detective was shot in the line of duty and wants his girlfriend with him, so he's going to get what he wants.'

'Detective, I have procedure to follow.'

'Goodie for you,' Beckett braced her hands on the counter, then straightened when she saw another nurse approach. 'Ma'am, are you the supervisor?'

'Yes, is there a problem?'

'Meredeth Coleman is the domestic partner of my detective, Javier Esposito. He was brought in here to be treated for a gun-shot wound and requested to see Miss Coleman, however, Nurse Morales claims that Miss Coleman shouldn't be allowed to see him despite the fact she's on his medical information as his next of kin and emergency contact.'

The supervising nurse nudge Val out of the way to scan the screen. 'So she is. He's in Trauma Bay Four, and your other detective is in Treatment Room Two.'  
'Thank you.' Beckett turned on her heel, adrenaline pumping in her veins as she hot-footed her way down the corridor to Ryan's room with Meredeth and Honey Milk trying to keep up.

'Who the hell was that nasty bitch?' Honey-Milk asked in whispered outrage as Beckett stepped into one of the rooms.

'Esposito's ex-girlfriend who thinks he's dating me to try and win her back. Called me a fat white girl the first time I met her.'

'Oh, I will end her.' Honey-Milk went to turn around but Meredeth caught her arm in time.

'If anyone's going to take her down a peg or two it'll be me, Esposito or the two of us tag-teaming her,' Meredeth started, then shut her mouth as Beckett came out of the room.

'Doctor Austin's in there with him right now. Are you alright to see him?'

'Yeah.'

'Okay.' Beckett shoved open the door and Meredeth felt the first trickle of relief since Castle's phonecall.

He was lying on the hospital gurney, a hospital gown in place of his clothes, skin far paler than was healthy. He was hooked up to an IV unit of various fluids, including one of blood. He turned his head at the sound of people in the room, face waxen and eyes dull with painkillers.

'Mere,' he said, 'that you?'

His tenative question made two tears trickle out. She went to his side, picked up his good hand in hers and squeezed. 'Yeah, baby, it's me.'  
'We're taking him up to surgery as soon as we get word from upstairs, so you'll have to make it quick,' Austin told her, looping his stethoscope over the back of his neck and answering the question on her face. 'It was a clean wound but we need to get in there to make sure nothing else was hit or that there aren't fragments of the bullet in the body.'

'I figured it out,' Esposito continued, trying his best to flex his hand in Meredeth's.

'Figured what out?'

'How you know it's me in the room without turning around. It's the smell. The nose knows. You smell like cucumbers and French perfume, and it makes me wanna bite you in fun places.'

'Always the romantic.'

'Gimme one, for good luck.' He tried to pucker up his mouth, but it came off more like a pout; Meredeth didn't give a good goddamn either way. She placed her lips on his, fighting back a shudder as she did so.

A nurse in a surgical gown and cap stuck her head in the door. 'Doctor Austin, Doctor Parks is ready for you.'

'One more,' Esposito told her, as the medical personnel began to move around his bed and was pleased when she gave him another kiss. 'Love you Mere, my beautiful, lovely loving lovable Meredeth.'

'Love you too, Javi.'

Letting his hand go as they left the room was one of the hardest things in her life she'd ever done. She went back across to the room the hallway where the Irish cop was there in a hospital gown with his left arm in a sling and splints around the pinky, ring, and middle fingers on the same arm. His face was a myriad of swollen red abrasions, but his eyes remained open and focused on Meredeth when she came in.

'Esposito?'

'Docs are looking after him,' she replied, pulling up a chair beside his bed. 'Where's Beckett?'

'Went to find Castle, who went to find something to eat and drink for us since it's going to be a long night. They want to keep me here overnight, just to be sure there's no head trauma.'

Meredeth nodded, then blurted out, 'What the fuck happened?'

'We were working on the case where the guy abducts his victims and takes them to the warehouse studio to paint them and then dispose of them, and we got a tip on his warehouse. Tip paid off, as we found him with his latest subject, but when we had him in the crosshairs he took a shot at Esposito, caught him in the arm, then tried to run so I took him out through the window. We already had medics coming to the scene for the vic, otherwise things might have been a lot more dicey.' Ryan plucked at the stingy bedsheet with his good hand. 'I didn't stay with him. Castle did, while I went after the guy.'

'Kev, you did the right thing,' Honey-Milk laid her hands on his knee. 'You caught the guy who shot your partner and killed four women.'

'If something happens to him-'

'Ryan, please.' Now Meredeth's voice was firm. 'Don't think that way. Javi trusts you with his life, as do I, and I'm sure he'll ask if you got the bastard who did it once he's out of surgery.'

The door swung open and Castle, followed by Lanie and Beckett, swung in, the writer carrying two bags of food, his girlfriend carrying one and the medical examiner carrying two trays of coffees and take-away soft drinks. All three showed signs of strain as they approached. Castle set the bag down on the wheelie table, began pulling out containers.

'It's what I love about this city, there's always something open. We've got bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon, smoked turkey, spinach dip, hummus, some chips, cold veggies, fruit salad-'  
'And a partridge in a pear tree,' Lanie finished off with a wry smile. She passed off the tray of drinks, gave Meredeth a tight squeeze. 'Austin's a former colleague, he said I can scrub in, see what's up.'

'Sure.'

Lanie nodded, then left the room, leaving the rest of them to stare at Meredeth, who said nothing, just poked at the containers of food like they were dangerous insects. Finally, it was Castle who spoke up.

'Meredeth, why don't we go take a walk, maybe call his sister and his parents?'

'I'm not leaving,' she said in a quiet voice.'

'Meredeth-'

'Maybe I wasn't clear. I'm not going anywhere.' Meredeth narrowed her eyes at him, and Castle felt his resolve weaken in the face of that icy blue stare. 'Nothing is taking precedence over my knowing he's okay.'

With that, she sat down, hauled out her iPhone and began playing Flood-It while everyone else around her nibbled at the food. She didn't care how much of a bitch she was right now, they would understand her need to be alone amongst them. She remembered the first night she met him, her first glimpse of him a seat away at Cecil's when he'd laughed at her irritation with her editor. When she'd assumed he'd been playing with her phone, he'd actually been giving her his number. She'd spent nearly an hour deciding what to wear to a movie when they'd be in darkness for two hours but it had been worth it when he'd 'wow'd' her in the ticket line. They'd had their first kiss that night too, and Meredeth had literally sang the entire way home. She'd known from that first kiss he was something special.

Meredeth had gotten so lost in her own thoughts she jumped a foot out of her skin when Castle put his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. 'What?' she snarled.  
He gestured to the door, and Meredeth felt the bottom of her stomach drop out as she saw Lanie standing there with Austin.

'Meredeth, can we talk to you for a minute?'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	28. Click: April 28 B

Meredeth got to her feet, her legs shaky as she went into the hallway for a little privacy, where they were joined by a short redhead in neon green surgical scrubs. She folded her arms over her chest, while Austin spoke in that infuriatingly unflappable voice every surgeon Meredeth ever met possessed.

'We got in there, and we fixed up the torn muscles, but we found no traces of bullet fragments in his arm, nor was it near the bone,' Austin explained patiently. 'There are tears both in his biceps brachii and brachialis from the entry and exit of the bullet, but we tested his muscle and nerve function and they were all positive.'

'You know in _Empire Strikes Back_, when Luke gets his mechanical hand, the little robot jabs the fingertips and points on the palm? Like that,' Lanie said, hoping Meredeth didn't feel she was patronizing her. Thankfully, Meredeth nodded curtly to show her understanding, as Austin continued his report.

'In order to heal properly, his arm will be immobilized for at least fourteen days in order for the healing process to be uninterrupted. After all that is finished, he'll need physiotherapy, but the bottom line is he's going to be just fine.'

'He's going to be just fine,' Meredeth repeated, looking at Lanie, who bobbed her head rapidly.

'We're going to keep him here for a few days to make sure he doesn't develop any infection, and the internist on my post-op service will be taking over the case once he's finished in the OR if you have any questions beyond his surgical care. He'll be out of recovery in about ten minutes,' Austin said, checking his watch, then putting his hand on the redhead's shoulder. 'This is Emily, one of the surgical nurses on my service, she's going to escort you up to your boyfriend's room.'

'I'll let everyone in there know the situation,' Lanie told Meredeth when she saw her hesitate, jutting her chin to the door behind Meredeth. 'Simmons Wing, room 730?' she verified with Emily, who nodded.

No longer shaky with anxiety, but with anticipation, Meredeth followed the petite woman to the elevators; once inside, she slumped against the wall, hands on her knees as she tried to keep the tears from spilling over. Not yet, she thought, not until I see him.

'I'm glad he's okay. I recognized him when he came in, from your Twitter photos,' Emily said, understanding Meredeth probably didn't want to be soothed and petted just yet. 'I also heard what that bitch Valencia tried to do. Only thing that travels faster in a hospital than disease is gossip,' she added sheepishly off Meredeth's glance. 'I'm one hundred percent on your side. She treated him so horribly, commenting how he wasn't so well-endowed in the manly way, and cheating with Doctor Leeds was justifiable since the cop stopped sleeping with her after the first date.'

Meredeth only shook her head; she'd heard the story before on the night she and Esposito had traded stories about their romantic misadventures. 'My man represents the Banana Republic quite well, and he knew all about Leeds, which was why it ended in the first place. Fidelity isn't a grey area with him.'

'Well, anyways, I think she's absolutely vile and you two are a much better pair. Here we are.' Emily ushered her charge into the room. 'Have the nurse's station page me if you need anything.'

Thank you.' Meredeth sat down, nervously pressed her hands together as she studied the empty space where a bed with her man would arrive shortly. Despite being a cop on a city salary, he had excellent health insurance which would cover the private room in which she waited for him. It had more the feel of a low-rent hotel than a hospital appointment which made her feel far more comfortable than the cold starkness of the ER's examination room. She thought about calling Lili, or Rosalita and Alejandro, but just couldn't bring herself to do it until she saw him.

She felt her nerves go wire-taut when she heard the murmur of voices, of wheels approaching; she shot out of her chair as the orderlies moved the bed through the door and she saw her Javi looking far less pale lying there, his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling in normal rhythm. His entire left arm was strapped to a padded stabilizing board; there was a bright-white dressing wrapped around his left bicep just above the elbow and an IV port at his wrist leading to the bags of fluids and blood on the metal pole attached to the rail of the bed. At his side in an instant, she closed her fingers over his hand and willed her voice to steady. 'Javi?'

His eyes flew open, and Meredeth could see the spaced-out look in them as they tried to focus on her. 'Mere, my love.'

'I'm right here.'

'Love you.'

'I love you too.'

'Ryan?'

'He's okay.'

'Good.' His eyes sank shut again, as she continued to hold his hand. 'Stay.'

'I'm not going anywhere.'

Esposito nodded meekly, the movement more like he was rubbing an itchy spot on the back of his head against his pillow before mumbling, 'Night my Merry-cherry.'

Meredeth laughed a little at the absurd pet name. 'Sleep tight, baby.'

She remained standing as he drifted off, chest rising and falling shallowly under the thin cotton sheets. Pulling out her scratch pad and pen from her purse, Meredeth began to compose a list of things she'd get one of her friends to bring to him from the house when a light knock sounded on the door. Glancing over, she saw it was Lanie sans the toss-away surgical gown she'd been sporting when she and Austin had come to update her on Esposito's condition.

'Hey, we're just across the hall when you have a moment.'

'It's okay, he's out for the count right now.' Meredeth gave Esposito's forehead a light peck, then followed Lanie out of the room and across the hall to find everyone from Ryan's ER room waiting for her, minus Beckett; presumably she'd gone back to the precinct to deal with the paperwork and the other police business that needed to be attended to. Leaning against the wall with a tired sigh, she kept her eyes closed for a few moments to diffuse the churning she felt in her stomach. When she opened them, saw her friends watching her with such understanding and patience, she felt the pen and paper slip from her lifeless fingers as the control she'd held onto with such a greasy grip slid away completely. She pressed a hand to her mouth as the tears began to flow hotly, the sobs shaking her whole body as she felt her legs give out and she slid to the floor.

'Oh, God.'

Castle was across the room in a heartbeat, cradling her in his arms with as much care as he'd held Alexis with when she'd gone through her first break-up. He helped her to her feet, still holding onto her. 'It's okay, Mere, it's okay.'

'I couldn't let it-I wasn't-I-'

'Shh, there's no need to explain.' She was trembling, he noted, as much from relief as from the gush of emotion that had come pouring out of her. 'I get it. Some days it's absolute hell being in love with a cop, and today is one of those days,' he murmured to her.

'I know,' she sniffled wetly, pulling back a little as her sobs subsided. 'Oh fuck it, I ruined your sweater.'

'It's fine.' Castle had worn it countless times when Alexis had needed to have a good cry and be held by her father, and his dry cleaner had always pulled through for him then. 'A sweater's nothing if a hug makes you feel better.'

Lanie had come over too, rubbed her hand in a broad circle on Meredeth's back. Spotting the little note-pad, she crouched to pick it up. 'Pyjamas, throw blanket, black-pillow, shaving kit,' she read. 'I'll go by your house, pick these things up for him, and I'm assuming you'll need some fresh clothes for yourself?'

'Yeah. My car is parked at a meter, too, so-'

'Give me your keys.' Castle held out his hand. 'Lanie and I will drive it back to your place, and take care of Arturo.'

'His overnight bag is underneath his side of the bed, and his travel toiletries are on the second shelf in the ensuite bathroom medicine cabinet. Oh and he'll probably want his afghan from the living room.'

'Anything you want?'

'I...' Meredeth shoved her hand through her hair, hoping it would help clear the mist from her brain. 'Maybe a sleep cot or something for in his room? I don't want to leave him overnight on his own and there wasn't a spot for me to rest.'

'Consider it done.' With that, Castle was gone out the door, leaving Meredeth in Lanie's very capable hands.

'Bet that felt good to let it out, huh?'

'My head hurts but yeah, I do feel a little better.' On a small groan, Meredeth lowered herself into one of the boxy armchairs of the lounge. 'And here I thought the worst part of my day was canceling dinner plans with him because I had to work late.'

'It's okay, sweetie.' Lanie gave her friend a squeeze around the shoulder. 'I'll put something together for you when I leave with Castle, and,' she added, lowering her voice discreetly, 'I'll make sure he doesn't snoop through your goodie drawer.'

'It's actually a white plastic bin that says 'Toy Box' on the lid, and it's underneath my side of the bed.'

'Got it covered.'

Castle came back, his face still serious but his tone far lighter. 'You've got yourself a twin trundle beside your man, Meredeth.'

'Thanks.'

'Come on, Doc, let's go get the brave hero cop his jammies.'

Lanie gave Meredeth one last squeeze before following him out the door, leaving her with Ryan, who looked in better spirits than when she'd first seen him.

'Where's Honey-Milk?'

'Sleeping in my room. She gets tired really easily now that she's getting close to the home stretch.' Even through his injuries, Ryan's face glowed bright as a sun when he mentioned his pregnant wife. 'Sometimes I still can't believe we made a baby. More I can't believe we made it at Castle's party.'

'But isn't that part of the whole experience of becoming a parent? Reminiscing about when you made your bouncing bundle of joy?'

'I don't think a kid's going to want to hear that I wanted to make sexy-time with his or her mother because her Hallowe'en costume was making me all hot and bothered so we bumped uglies in the party host's bathrrom and nine months later, Jenn pushed them into the world.'

'True, but on the other hand, when you're up at two in the morning on diaper patrol, you can think back fondly.'

Ryan let out a laugh which turned into a yawn. 'I'm going to go check on my baby mama. Give me a boost?'

'Sure, where are we going?'

'Just down the hallway.'

Meredeth smiled as she unlocked the brakes of his wheelchair and pushed him towards his room. 'Tally-ho, good sir.'

'Speaking of hoes, what's this I hear about Val Morales causing trouble in the ER?'

'Oh, don't even...She was going to try and have me thrown out of the hospital, Ryan.'

'Bitch. I told him the night he met her at the bar, don't do it, she's got bad news written all over her. Of course, bro just wanted to break a bad dry-spell. Now that he's got you, of course...' Ryan leaned back, turned his gaze upward to give Meredeth a toothy grin. 'I think that phrase will lose all meaning for him.'

'You know there's more to our relationship than sex.' Really, really good mind-blowing hundred-and-one lists type sex, she added silently.

'You're his heart and soul, Mere, any fool can see that; it's just my job to bust on him.' His tone turned somber a moment. 'I don't suppose there's any point telling you to go home and rest so I'll tell you to get some sleep, okay? He'll need you to get through this, no matter how much of a jackass he's going to act like.'

'I know. He was positively insufferable when he caught a cold last winter. You'd have thought he had brain worms or something, and then five bucks says he gets shot and will expect to bounce back like a rubber ball. All part of his stubborn, rock-headed charm, I guess.'

Meredeth turned into room seven-forty-two, saw Honey-Milk lying on one of the beds with her arm protectively draped over her baby bump as she dozed. She stopped Ryan's chair beside the bed. 'You need a hand?' she asked.

'Nah, I got it.' With obviously practiced moves, Ryan nudged Honey-Milk out of the center of the bed, then positioned himself in a half-sitting-up position so her cheek rested against his ribs while he wrapped his free arm around her body to hold her close.

'You ready for bed, Kev?' she murmured when she awoke; his voice was soft and supportive, much like Esposito's was when Meredeth had gone through her night-terror episodes.

'Yeah. Go back to sleep.'

Meredeth watched Ryan kiss her forehead as he slide his hand over the curve of her belly, the soft glow of pure love lighting his angelic face as he mouthed, 'the baby's moving' to Meredeth. Touched by his tenderness, she slipped out to give them their privacy and check on her own hero cop. He was still out cold, she saw when she arrived at his room. Foregoing the cot discreetly set up beside the bed, she toed off her shoes and turning down the sheets, crawled in beside him. He stirred once, shifted at the new body beside him.

'Mere,' he mumbled before conking back out again.

'I'm right here, my love,' she told him, holding him around the waist. 'I'm not going anywhere.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	29. Click: April 29 A

Meredeth was awoken the next morning by someone shaking her foot. Her instinct was to kick the offender away, but when the grip only tightened, she peeled open a wary eye. Her crankiness subsided somewhat when she saw it was Beckett, standing there in her lady-cop heels and leather jacket.

'Morning. What time is it?'

'Just after eight. He slept through the night, which is good. He needs proper rest right now.' Meredeth stretched her arms skyward, her neck stiff and back sore, owing to the fact she'd slept beside him in a bed meant only for one person. Her face felt like she'd had a melted-butter facial and her eyes were gritty as sandpaper, but she stretched and yawned and saw the steady beep-beep of his heart-rate on the monitor and the normal rise and fall of his chest. She stood up, twisted, let her arms flop to her sides.'

'How are you doing?' Beckett asked in a sympathetic tone, hands stuffed in her pockets.

'I've been better, but I can deal with it. His recovery is what's important right now.'

'Good. Can I talk to you in the hallway for a moment?'

Once they were in the hallway Beckett put her hands on her hips, glared at Meredeth in disbelief and hissed, 'What was all that last night about Esposito's medical file? I'm his supervising officer, I have to sign off on anything going to his personnel file and you're listed as his next of kin and his emergency contact.'

'I know, I'm on his insurance too.'

'So what was that woman doing last night not letting you in?'

'That would be Valencia Morales. Esposito dated her for a few months two years ago, and she hasn't gotten over it. She can't stand me.'

'Is this the first time you've seen her act like this?'

'I've only met her once before, but when I did, it wasn't good. She called me a fat white girl to my face, even laughed at Lili when she said I was his new girlfriend.'

Beckett pursed her lips. 'Okay, thanks. I'm going to talk to the ER supervisor, but if you think of anything, you've got my number.'

'Sure.' Too tired to guess at what Beckett had up her sleeve, Meredeth went back into the room and was at Esposito's side in an instant when she saw his eyelids flutter. Pulling up a chair, she took his good hand in hers and kissed the knuckles. 'Good morning, snooze-a-roo.'

'Mere.'

'Yeah, it's me, Javi.'

He tried to clear his throat. 'Water?' he rasped; she took the cup off the bedside table, held the straw to his lips while he drank. 'What time is it?'

'About eight-fifteen on Wednesday morning. You just slept through the night.'

Esposito tried to focus as the events from the previous day came rushing back. They'd gone into the warehouse to find the son of a bitch calling himself Picasso. When they'd gone in to find him, they were barely through the door when he'd felt an explosion of pain in his left arm that took him off his feet and onto his back, rapping his head hard against the cement flooring. The air was now thick with sulfur and the tang of blood. Ryan had tackled the guy through a window while Castle had leapt over to him and Beckett attended to the girl. His only thought had been Meredeth, and he coudln't be sure but he thought he mumbled to Castle to call her and meet them at the hospital. A little while later, she'd been there, in a white room full of steel and electronic noise. Then the blackness of sleep. He'd awoken to find himself moving, rolling somewhere, and she was there again. His love, his guardian angel, waiting and watching over him.

Now here he was, in a hospital room, Meredeth at his side looking tired and worried, the stains of fresh tears on her cheeks.

'Oh baby,' he murmured, seeing her red-rimmed eyes. 'I'm here. I'm okay.'

'Yeah. The doctor said it didn't hit the bone at all so you're very lucky. He also said you should expect to feel sluggy for a week or two until the anesthetic is completely out of your body.'

'What about Ryan?'

'He's a little banged up but he is going home today. He and Jenny are stopping by before they head out.'

'Is she okay, like with the baby and everything?'

'One hundred percent. Ryan had an empty bed beside him last night so they let her sleep there.' Meredeth paused to get a hold of herself. 'He's feeling really guilty. He thinks he should have stayed with you, not Castle.''

But we wouldn't have got the guy if he didn't go after him.'

'So please remind him of that when he stops in.' Meredeth took a deep breath, unsure if she was about to do more harm than good. 'There's something else you need to know.'

'Oh?'

'We're at Stuyvesant Memorial, Javi, and guess who was working the ER desk when I got here last night?'

Esposito shook his head. 'I don't know.'

'I'll give you a hint. She called me a fat white girl.'

Now there was fire in his eyes as he struggled to sit up straighter, his fingers tightening on hers. 'No.'

'Oh yeah. And I wasn't sure if I should tell you this now or later, but she tried to have me tossed from the ER, saying I wasn't listed in your medical files so I couldn't see you and if necessary, she would call security to throw me out.'

'Fuck me.'

'I don't think that's a good idea right now, for a variety of reasons.'

Esposito let Meredeth's hand go, balled his own into a fist until his knuckles were white across the ridges. 'You are listed on every legal document I have, including my will, as my person. What the fuck was she thinking?'

'Well in her words, you would never be my man, and when you got tired of banging white pork, you'd go back to her.'

'Oh that's just...I am so sorry, Meredeth, really.'

'Hey, it's not your fault, it's not like the paramedics said, "hey you know this shot-guy's looney-tune ex-girlfriend who likes to stir up trouble works at Stuyvesant Memorial, let's go there!"

'Well, when Lili gets here, don't tell her. She's still pissed off about what Val said to you when we went to the church lunch in November.'

Esposito took the cup of water from Meredeth's hand, sipped through the straw. 'I'm glad you told me. Easier to deal with that way if she tries anything.'

'You think she will?'

'Mere, love of my life, this woman is like a hammerhead shark. Once she scents blood in the water, she goes for what she thinks is the kill. This is her issue with me, and you are getting caught in the middle.'

'Well, I'm not planning on going anywhere for the foreseeable future so I will know if she tries to pull any shit.'

'What about work?'

'I called Kristof last night, he's taking care of things for a few days at Elevation. I told you, I'm here for you.'

'Come here.' Esposito patted the space beside him, pleased when she sat down. With his good hand, he brushed his thumb over her cheek as he saw the remnants of a troubled night in her eyes. Taking her hand in his and holding it against his chest, he leaned forward a little to press his lips to hers, once lightly, then in for a good one. Though he knew he couldn't do much about it from a hospital bed, it still gave him a thrill to hear her make that sexy little sighing sound in her throat.

'Even when you're laid up in a hospital bed, you're still trying to get laid.'

The couple broke apart to see Ryan walking into the room. His face was now deep red, like a sunburn, and his left arm was in a cast, but he was on his feet and dressed in jeans and a loose button-down shirt. 'Jenny's down in my room, taking care of the paperwork stuff. She's got a better head for hospital-ese than me. Mere, do you mind if I take a moment here?'

'No, I'll go and grab something to eat from the cafeteria, give Lili a call and see what time she's going to get here.' She put a kiss on Esposito's forehead before she left; when she was gone, Ryan sat himself into the chair that Meredeth had vacated. He rested his cast arm against the plastic bed rail, studied his partner.

'How you doing man?'

'Can't complain,' Esposito joked, rhythmically tapping his fingers on his chest. 'A little punctured but I'll be fine. Can you do me a favour?'

'Anything man, I mean if it hadn't been for me-'

'If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have caught the guy and I would still be in here, so cut that shit out right now. You did the right thing and if you'd stayed with me, I'd've kicked your ass out the window myself. Besides, I had Castle there and he's first-aid certified.' Esposito held out his knuckles. 'I'm with you till the wheels fall off.'

Ryan left out a shaky breath, bumped his fist against his partner's. 'Till the wheels fall off.'

'There's one other thing.'

'Sure, bro.'

'Make sure Meredeth doesn't get sick worrying about me. She won't leave the hospital unless you blast her with dynamite, and I'm going to need her whole and healthy when I get out of this place, so just keep an eye on her for me, okay?'

'You got it.'

Esposito settled back against the pillow, studied the patterns in the ceiling tiles of his room. 'She's the one, man.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah. I don't know what I did to deserve her, but I'm not questioning it at all. She's it.'

Ryan felt his heart go soft for a moment; it wasn't often Esposito let that romantic side of him shine through, even since he'd hooked up with Meredeth. But Ryan also remembered that his partner, his bro, was the first one to congratulate him when Ryan himself had said similar words the previous August about Honey-Milk just two short months after they'd moved in together. 'Dude, much as I love hearing that, because it's great to hear you say it, the person you need to tell this to is that skank-tastic maneater named Val Morales. Did you know she tried to have Meredeth barred from seeing you? What if you'd died? Or she needed to make some important next-of-kin decision?'

'I know,' Esposito said bitterly. Even thinking about confronting Val was leaving a sour taste in his mouth. 'But if she's really that nutty, then she'll find a way to come to me, and if I'm lucky, Meredeth will tear her to shreds.'

'Ah, nothing says true love like girl-on-girl fighting action.'

Esposito would have retorted something witty about Ryan's totally pedestrian fantasies, but kept his mouth shut when he saw Meredeth return with a small canvas bag of goodies she unloaded on the wheelie-table beside his bed.

'There's a whole bunch of stuff here, I didn't know if you were hungry or what,' she said on a rush as she pulled out fruit, pudding cups, crackers, mini-bags of chips, two half-quarts of milk along with travel-sized boxes of cereal, and two deli-wraps in plastic containers. 'Ryan, you're welcome to stay.'

'Thanks anyways, Mere, but I just wanna go home,' he said in a pouting, slightly pitiful voice. 'Take care and call me with an update soon.'

Meredeth shook her head as she unpacked more goodies, making Esposito furrow his brow. 'Did you buy the whole cafeteria?' he asked incredulously.

'If I have to life off the snack-bar, I'm going to make it worth my while.' She took a swig from a small carton of orange juice. 'What can I get for you, babe?'

'More water'd be nice, maybe a cup of coffee or something.'

'I don't know about the coffee, we'll wait on that until the doctor comes in, but water can be done. I'll be right back.'

Esposito watched her marched out of the room, pressed his fingertips to his lips when she'd just lain hers. He leaned back, stared at the ceiling as a joyful grin worked its way across his face. He had the most beautiful, gentle, creative, sexy intelligent woman on the face of the planet who was just as crazy about him as he was her, and he knew without a shadow of a doubt she was The One.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	30. Click: April 29 B

Esposito knew he was going in and out of sleep, thanks to the drugs and the remnants of anesthetic in his system, so he wasn't at all surprised to find one minute he was playing Texas Hold'em with Meredeth with M&M's as their ante - the doctor said he was fine to eat regular foods, with those high in protein and iron being most important - only to tell to close his eyes for just a moment, he had drifted off for an hour or two.

Now as he woke up, he heard the metallic _click-click_ rhythm of knitting needles. Turning his head slightly, he saw his mother sitting beside his bed, knitting with the silent intensity he knew was her way of keeping it together when upset. She'd done it before when he was ten and had needed to have his tonsils out, and again when he was sixteen and had been severely ill with salmonella poisoning; the second time it had been a little more embarrassing since he'd started dating his first girlfriend and didn't want her to think him a pussy that his mommy was with him in the hospital should she visit.

This time, however, it was nothing but childhood comfort he felt when he saw Rosalita with her blue aluminum knitting needles working on yet another project. He turned his head on his pillow and spoke in her native tongue. 'What are you working on, Mami?'

Rosalita looked up, barely missing a beat. 'It's a blanket for your cousin Merecedes. She and Filipe are having another baby in November. How are you feeling?'

'Okay. Sleepy. Where's Meredeth?'

'Your sister convinced her to take a rest at her place since the West Village is closer than Chelsea, get showered and a proper bite to eat.' Rosalita finished her line of stitches, then set aside her needles. 'That girl wasn't interested in leaving your side unless I stayed with you. Didn't want you waking up alone.'

'She loves me, Mami. I don't know what I'd do without her.'

Rosalita stood up, brushed her hand over he son's brow. 'You love her very much. Anyone can see it. So explain to me why Valencia doesn't?'

'Oh, Jesus-'

'Javier Jimeno, no swearing.'

Esposito winced; he hated when his mother middle-named him. 'Sorry, Mami, but how did you know about that?'

'Meredeth mentioned it when we got here, and she had to bodily restrain your sister from going and finding that woman. I don't understand it. You dated, she was a two-timing little hussy so you ended it. Why she doesn't let it go?'

'Who knows?' Esposito sighed, felt his eyelids grow heavy again. 'Wake me when Meredeth gets here, okay?'

He drifted into sleep and once again came out of it, this time to see his father and Castle in his room. This time, he felt a little less foggy and was even able to sit up with the aid of his auto-adjuster on his bed. Both were sitting around his bed, eating some kind of soup and chatting.

'Hey, Sleeping Beauty!' Castle flashed his friend a grin, reached into the insulated bag at his feet. 'Lanie had to head into work, but she brought you something to eat that doesn't taste like it was stewed with gym socks.'

Esposito accepted the container; he could feel his taste-buds tingle with hope and they weren't disappointed when he tasted Meredeth's spinach and tomato soup, steaming hot and fragrant. Castle discreetly nudged over the table for him to put the plastic-ware on as they continued to eat.

'Any word on when they're springing you?'

'Sometime on Friday I think, Saturday at the latest.' Esposito sampled Meredeth's soup and almost broke down at the little taste of home. 'Where'd Mami go?'

'Also in to work. It is a busy day at the bakery. We brought the bag Lanie put together before going to meet Beckett.'

'Oh thanks.'

'Don't thank us. Meredeth made a list last night of things she knew you'd want.' Castle pursed his lips in a half-pout, half-smirk. 'You've got a good one there, pal.'

'Don't I know it.'

'Lucky for you she cooks,' Alejandro added, spooning up soup. 'Of course you'd find a girl who's almost as good a chef as your mama.'

Esposito squirmed a little. 'It's not the only reason I love her.'

'No, you love her because she is kind and intelligent and beautiful and most of all, she makes you happy. The fact she makes good food is a bonus.'

'Exactly.' He paused a moment. 'You bring any of Mere's cracked wheat bread?'

* * *

The next time he awoke, it wasn't a floaty dream-like surfacing, but hard and brutal, like being in a dark room with the lights suddenly switched on. Esposito blinked hard and felt his temper immediately going on edge when he saw Valencia standing by the foot of his bed with his chart.

'Val.' He all but growled her name as she came up to stand beside him. She glanced up, saw he was awake and shut the chart.

'Javier, it's okay, she's gone. No need to worry about that blonde pig anymore.'

'Valencia, stop calling my girlfriend a blond pig. She's not fat and she's not blonde.'

'Oh sweetie, I get it. You needed some space and I forgive you for your other women, but really, she's ridiculous. What possible reason could you have for dating her other than to get me back?'

Esposito stared at her. 'I don't know how to say this any more clearly, Val. I broke up with you two years ago. I've met someone I love very much and there is nothing I wouldn't do for her. It's over between you and me. I love Meredeth. And I want you to leave.'

'You don't mean that.' Tears that she could call up at will now sparkled in Valencia's eyes. 'Javier, how could you forget what we had?'

'We were together for four months, we only had sex once because you were cheating on me. You think I didn't know about Greg Leeds?' he asked her, incredulity straining his patience when he saw the guilty light of knowledge flash in her eyes.

'Well, riddle me this. Why isn't she here taking care of you?'

'She went to Lili's to shower, because she spent the night here with me.'

'You should have called me to stay with you. You need rest and you need your loved ones supporting you, not a pushy bitch like her.'

'Watch who you call a bitch, _skiderik_.'

Esposito's head whipped over to the door; twin vines of delight and panic twisting in his gut when he saw Meredeth, hair still damp from a shower, standing in the door way, her face calm and set. Behind her was Beckett and another nurse, their expressions mirroring Meredeth's.

'Can I help you with something?' Valencia asked in a poisoned-honey voice.

'Val, I would like you to leave. I need to speak with Javi in private.'

'Whatever you have to say to him can wait.' Now Valencia's lip curled into a condescending sneer. 'He's been hurt and he doesn't need you around bothering him.'

Before Esposito or Meredeth could respond, Lili swung into the room. Her bouncy gait ground to a halt when she saw the woman standing beside her brother's bed, and her temper went from zero to Aida in a nanosecond.

'You,' she snarled, and was across the room in three strides, getting right in Valencia's face. 'Who the fuck do you think you are, you conniving, machete-mouthed bitch!'

'Lili-'

'How dare you treat my brother, and my _cunada futura_ that way! You disgust me, you low-lying, nasty whore-faced tramp!'

'_Cunada futura_ is it? You really think so?'

'I know so!' Lili declared hotly. If it hadn't been for the fired-up temper, it would have been almost comical how in three-inch boots Lili was nose-to-chest with Valencia in flat-sneakers and Lili looked like she could have eaten the woman alive. 'Everyone knows it, because they don't have their heads up their asses like you do, so you need to get the fuck out of here before I let you really have it.'

'Why don't you tell that fat cunt to waddle out of here and leave Javier's care to a real woman.'

Lili's face, beat red with temper, nearly turned purple as she unleashed a torrent of very unflattering Spanish, which set Valencia off on her own tirade in the same language, with Beckett trying to step in and calm them down before it came to blows. Esposito felt his energy drain as Meredeth silently slipped over to stand by him. She gave his arm a supporting squeeze, then opened her mouth.

'Enough!' she bellowed, so loudly that everyone in the room shut up like a switch had been thrown. 'Lili, go join Cam, Castle and Javi's father in the cafeteria for a few minutes. Now,' she added emphatically when it looked like Lili was going to protest. The second Esposito's sister was gone from the room Meredeth turned to Valencia, sarcasm throbbing in her voice like a bass line. 'I understand how you might have trouble figuring out why a man like Javi wouldn't want to be with such a sweet example of graceful womanhood as you, but he loves me. That's not an idea or impression, that's a stone cold hard fact, and it leaves you with two options. You can leave now with your dignity intact and speak to Detective Beckett and your supervisor like a rational adult or you can be hauled out of here by Detective Beckett in restraints and be taken upstairs for a psychiatric diagnosis.'

'You think-' Valencia started but was cut off as Meredeth continued.

'And if you ever, _ever_, call me a waddling cunt again, you will need to go back to your plastic-surgeon fuck buddy, only this time it will be as his patient because I will have rearranged your face so your own mother can't tell who you are. Am I clear?'

Esposito sat up a little straight, pride for his woman radiating out of every pore. 'I think you've made it very clear, Mere.'

'I think so too.'

There was nothing but humming silence for eight seconds, and for a moment, Meredeth thought she'd have to follow through on her threat. She'd flexed her fingers, ready to ball them into fists when Valencia gave a haughty toss of the hair.

'I'll leave if it what Javier wants.'

'Very much so,' he said in a rush.

'In a moment, Detective. I need to speak to Miss Morales concerning her actions last night,' Beckett said in her cool interrogation voice, 'and it would be easier with you and Meredeth both here.'

'Of course, whatever I can do to help our city's finest.'

Beckett's eyebrows wanted to arch in amazement at how this woman yo-yoed between her emotions so quickly, that she could go from sniping at Meredeth to falsely demure graciousness so quickly. 'Miss Morales, you were working on the ER desk last night when Miss Coleman and Mrs. Ryan came in as visitors, correct?'

'Yes, that's correct.'

'And despite her name on his medical records as an emergency contact and his next of kin, you told Miss Coleman that she would have to remain in the ER waiting room. Why is that?'

'She was being belligerent and causing problems. I was about to call Security to have her removed when you approached and explained the situation to me, which was then verified by my supervisor. I was merely acting in the patient's best interest.'

'No, Val,' the nurse-supervisor said in a severe tone, 'what you did was lie to a patient's family member and deliberately misinform her with malicious intent. What you did, was break the law. Detective Beckett is well within her authority right now to arrest you for criminal negligence, provided that Meredeth wants to press charges.'

Meredeth swallowed, then took her hand in Esposito's. 'No, I don't. But I would like to request that she not have the opportunity to potentially do this to someone else.'

'Agreed. Nurse Morales, as of this moment, you are no longer an employee of Stuyvesant Memorial Hospital.' The nurse supervisor stepped forward now. 'I'm going to escort you to the locker room where you will clean out your things, turn in your keys and ID, and furthermore, you will also be undergoing psychiatric evaluation to determine whether or not your license as a New York State-registered health-care provider will be suspended.'

The blood that had churned viciously in Valencia's veins drained from her face so she was pale as paper. 'That's absurd! All because I did what was best for him? Javier,' she pleaded in a desperate voice, 'please tell them. I'm the only woman you want with you.'

'The only thing I want from you, Val, is to never see you again, and if you so much as even _think_ an unkind thought about Meredeth I will let her and my sister tag-team your sorry fat ass.'

'You can't be serious. Javier? It's really over? Just like that?' Her voice was pathetic, as if it had just sunk in; then the pitiful sadness hardened when he stared her down with a look that could have frozen mercury. 'Fine. But when you're sick of her, don't look to me for comfort or to take you back!' she declared haughtily, then sailed out the door, with Beckett and the nurse-supervisor following closely behind.

'What a...you know, I don't think there's even a word for that kind of crazy.' Relieved the drama of Valencia was behind them Meredeth pulled up a chair beside Esposito's bed, pulled a copy of _The Maltese Falcon_ out of her bag. 'You in the mood for some Bogey?'

'Sure.'

Meredeth pulled out her portable DVD-player, popped in the disc, then passed him a ziploc bag as she cuddled in beside him with the remote. 'Here. Just like at home.'

'But how will I eat and hold on to you at the same time? I only have one good arm.'

Meredeth simply tipped her face up to him and batted her lashes coyly. 'Hello, my name is Daniela, and I'm your personal nurse,' she said, thickening her voice with a Danish accent, 'and I am here to attend to your every need, including hand-feeding you chocolate almonds or pummeling insane ex-girlfriends, if that's what you want.'

He laughed, the first real laugh he'd had since being in the hospital. 'Did I tell you I love you yet today, Mere?'

'Can't really remember.'

'Well, I do.'

'Love you too.'

'Now feed me, my love slave.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	31. Click: May 7

'Mere?'

'What?'

'Can you give me a hand?'

Glancing away from the mirror where she was brushing her hair, Meredeth popped her head around the side of the bathroom and saw Esposito standing there shirtless and barefoot in loose black pants and holding a razor in his good hand. He wouldn't have bothered but for the fact the captain had called the night around supper-time and asked to see him in his office bright and shiny at ten am the following morning. Since he was still stuck in the god-forsaken sling like he'd been for the last nine days, it was easier to do things the night before he had plans so all he had to do was spend his usual amount of morning routine time cleansing and dressing.

'Javi?'

'Hmm?' His mind had drifted again; add 'lack of concentration' onto that damn side-effects list, he thought miserably. This whole getting-shot thing wasn't nearly as cool as in the movies, he'd discovered.

'Do you want me to put the cream on or would you prefer to do that yourself?'

'Myself.'

Meredeth didn't blame him at all for being touchy. He was a stubbornly independent person when it came to doing tasks. Even when he'd nearly burned her kitchen down trying to fry fish, he'd insisted that she only instruct and not take over. She watched as he looked in the bathroom mirror, smear Gilette super-foam over the lower half of his face. He rinsed his hands in the water-filled sink, then sat down on the closed toilet.

'I've never done this before. Shaved a face, I mean.'

'Just drag the razor over the cream, rinse, repeat until we're through and my handsome face is smooth as a baby's ass.'

'Well at least that bullet missed your funny bone,' she commented. Putting one hand on the crown of his head to steady it, she turned him so he was looking under her right elbow while she dragged the multi-blade razor over his cheek, rinsed it and started on the next section. 'Hmm not so bad. Kinda like doing a misshapen knee. That has teeth. Go like this.' She pressed her lips together so they all but disappeared. 'Don't want to cut you.'

He complied, and Meredeth carefully shaved away the dark fuzz over his top lip. His mouth was full, sensuous, so beautifully sculpted. Since it was there, when she'd finished trimming away the hairs on his chin, she gave him a little kiss before continuing over to his right cheek. When she was done, she damped the corner of a towel, rubbed away the little foamy leftovers. 'There, I think that should do the worst of the damage. You want to finish it up?'

'Yeah.' Suddenly angry after she'd been so considerate and patient, he snatched the razor from her hand. 'I got it.'

She gave him a beady look but nodded, left the bathroom to continue getting herself ready for bed. Esposito shut the door behind her, and looking in the mirror, ran a hand over his face. She'd done a decent job, better than if he'd tried to be a one-armed bandit. His eyes drifted down to see his immobilized arm, resting in the sling; it made him want to scream in frustration.

This was not him. He was not the guy who need other people to do his work for him. He was active, mobile, moving and working and _doing_; he'd been stuck at home with fuck-all occupying his time for over a week and he wanted to lose his mind. He'd been short-fused with Meredeth, every little thing she did to help him making him feel even worse. Meredeth, bless her soul, couldn't possibly understand she fed this rage every time she helped him get dressed or fixed his meals for him, shaved his face for god sakes. All she wanted was to make things easier for him, which only made him feel worse.

And the hardest thing to deal with was, ironically, the softest. The doctor had told him it would happen, that his libido would be fine but his ability to do anything about it would be in hibernation. He and Meredeth so rarely fought the kind of fight that needed make-up sex, but he knew that the way he'd been acting, she deserved the best he could give her. And he simply could not do it.

Patting his face dry, Esposito drained the sink and went back into the bedroom to begin undressing. He stood at the side of the bed, unzipping his jeans with one hand with jerky movements. He was so fucking sick of this, of being only half a man, the next closest thing to an invalid. The rational half of him knew it was temporary, that the feelings of uselessness would pass once he was given the green light by the doctor but the day-to-day part of him had never been so infuriated in his life.

When she came into the room, saw him getting undressed, she wordlessly went to the dresser and took out his pyjamas, put them on the foot of the bed. 'Have you taken your pills yet?' she asked him.

'Yes.'

'And you're not feeling nauseous from the anti-inflammatory?'

'No.'

'Okay.' She crossed to him, began to tug at his pants when he snapped.

'God-dammit, Mere, I can get changed myself.'

Her eyes burned. 'Fine,' she snapped back, 'be a snotty little brat, then and do it yourself.'

When she stomped away, slamming the door to the ensuite, Esposito hung his head and sighed, giving her a few minutes to be one-hundred percent pissed off; she had every right to her anger. Knowing the humbling path he had to walk, he went over and knocked on the door. 'Babe, I'm sorry for yelling at you.'

A huffy laugh came through the door. 'Well, it's a nice change from your sulking.'

'I haven't been sulking.'

'Right.' She yanked open the door, marched past him to turn down the sheets on their bed. 'So I suppose avoiding Ryan's calls all week when he's worried sick about you, refusing to let Castle come over or Beckett bring you paper grunt work is what, a brilliant coping strategy?'

'I don't want to see them right now. And I'm sorry Mere, because I love you but I can't stand one more second of your hovering.'

Now it was hurt she felt, along with her temper. 'Why not?'

'Because I don't feel like a man!' Esposito sighed, sat on the edge of the bed with his back to Meredeth. He couldn't look at her, not if he wanted to get this out. 'I am a guy who needs to fix things, to right wrongs, it's part of the reason I became a cop. And right now, I'm not that guy. I can't get dressed, or eat, or shave on my own and god forgive me, it makes me feel weak and ashamed.'

'Javi.' Meredeth rounded the bed, knelt in front of him as he hung his head. 'Look at me. Look at me,' she repeated when he shook his head; she waited until he raised those miserable brown eyes to hers. 'You are very much a man. You are my man, and you are not weak.'

When she kissed him,putting a little fire in it, the final greasy thread of his control slipped from his grasp. He gave a shudder so noticeable she pulled back. 'Javi-'

'I can't, Mere.'

'We can always do spoon-position so you don't-'

'No, I mean, I physically can't. Every molecule of my body wants to have the greatest make-up sex as an apology for it, and I can't get it up.'

'Because of the medication?' When he nodded, she shook her head. 'Is that what this is about?'

'I want to make love to you, to show you how much I adore you, because I wouldn't make it through this without you and I can't.'

'On a scale of one-to-ten, with one being a worm and ten being reinforced titanium-'

'If I'm thinking about you, drenched in coconut oil on silk sheets, two. I watched our home-vid from Valentine's Day and I got to maybe a three.'

'Okay. I might have something for that.' Meredeth got up, pulled her night-shirt over her head so she was just in her panties. 'Lie down.'

'Mere-'

'You want to stay cranky and sexually frustrated? Lie down.'

Knowing better than to piss her off even more when she sounded like that, Esposito did so. When she crawled in beside him, he could smell cucumber on her skin and felt the sizzle in his chest, if not anywhere else.

'I am going to tell you a dirty bed-time story,' she explained, taking the hem of his boxers in her fingertips and peeling them down his body so he lay completely naked, save for his arm brace. When she stretched out beside him, she placed one hand on him but didn't rub or stroke, just let her palm lay against him. 'Where is somewhere you'd like to go on vacation together?'

'Barbuda. Blue waters, sun, you in a tiny little bikini.'

Meredeth was silent for a moment, then nodded. 'Okay, I've got it.'

'Got what?'

'Close your eyes.' He did so, and Meredeth lowered her voice to the soft purr she used when they were burning up the sheets. 'We're in Barbuda and we've decided to exploring in the dense, tropical jungle, when we've come across a secluded little beach. Crystal blue waters, white sand, and nothing but the sound of birds in the trees all around us. It's like we've found our own little castaway island. We decide to go for a swim.'

'Sounds amazing.'

'You jump in first, then when you turn around, you can see I've jumped in too, only wearing my bikini bottoms and my breasts are floating a little in the water. You get that look in your eye that says I won't be wearing them for long. We splash around a little and we're washed up on shore, kissing and groping at each other. The feel of you on top of me, the weight of you makes me feel sexy as you kiss me and start running those strong hands of yours all over my body.'

Esposito could see it in his mind, clear as a Blu-Ray DVD, and for the first time since he was out of the hospital, felt a small rush of blood in his loins. Wrapping his unbraced arm around her, he cupped her breast, felt her nipple harden against his touch; the rush continued. 'Then what?'

'You do what you just did now, run your hands over my breasts, rubbing your thumbs over my nipples until I cry out. You use your tongue on me instead of your fingertips and it's driving me crazy, I'm begging for you to touch me.' She felt him twitch a little under her hand. 'You feeling something?'

'Yeah. Don't stop, I like where this is going.'

'I'm pulling at your swim trunks and you're tugging on the strings of my bikini, and because you like to torture me so sweetly you take one hand and run your finger from the pulse in my neck, down the center of my body to that sweet spot between my thighs.'

'Like this?' He slid his hand down to where she described before sliding his hand back up.

'Yeah. I'm already wet and waiting for you, so you slide in one finger, then two, taking your time to draw it out, making me moan in your ear how good you make me feel, and the faster I want it, the slower you make it.'

This time she felt him grow, hardening under her palm so she used it. 'You can feel me clench around your fingers, slick and hot, and just when I think I can't take anymore you lower your mouth to my breast and suckle as you stroke me to the most blinding orgasm I've had from your hands on me.'

'God.' Now his eyes slammed shut as he envisioned her, sun-kissed and open and welcoming for him and felt like his usual self for a fleeting moment. 'What next?'

'You want to be inside me, but instead, I decide to give it back to you. I roll you so you're underneath me now, solid as granite and ready to party. I kiss my way down your chest, tracing my finger over your treasure trail, until I hit the jackpot and take you into my mouth. I use my tongue, my lips, every trick I have to make you feel as much pleasure as I did. Your hips are arching off the sand as you run your fingers through my hair to keep me close and I can hear you struggling for breath.'

Esposito swallowed tightly. He could feel it now - the first time he'd been able to have his body respond the way it always did when he fantasized about sex with Meredeth. Still with his arm wrapped around her, he pulled her tight against him, whispered in her ear, 'Keep going, Mere. I want you to.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah.'

With that word of encouragement, she closed her fingers around him, a little surprised at how alert he was but nonetheless did what he wanted, what he needed as she continued, 'I can feel you freeze for a moment and all of a sudden, you tighten your fingers against my head as your pace speeds up, and I hear you tell me you're coming, and you do. I take all of you in, until you're done and we're both lying there spent on the beach.'

'Jesus, Mere.' He could feel the little bit of pressure tighten inside him, winding like a spring and groaned as it did, which alarmed Meredeth.

'Javi-'

'No, don't stop.'

Laying her lips against his throat, she adjusted her hold on him as needed until she heard his breathing change, like he was holding in little gasps, until she felt the tremble of his chest, felt him ooze warm against her hand. When he'd finished emptying himself, his heart thundering like a freight train and sweat popping out of his pores like daisies, she reached for the tissue box on the nightstand to tidy both of them up. The second she'd tossed it into the trash can, Esposito turned onto his side and crushed his mouth to Meredeth's in a greedy kiss. The orgasm had been small, inconsequential, not at all the tsunami of sensation he was accustomed to with her, but it did the job - it had been a complete affirmation.

'Thank you,' he murmured against her lips. 'Thank you, Mere.'

'Like I said, you're my man, Javi. And as soon as you're through your meds and you get back to that eight-nine that you're used to, I'm going to rock you like a hurricane.'

'I'm holding you to that.' He kissed her again, wrapped his arm around her to keep her close. 'I love you, Mere.'

'I love you too, Javi.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	32. Click: May 13

It was a beautiful May day, in more ways than one. Outside the sun was shining brilliantly in a clear blue sky where no cloud dared to wander in. The temperature had spiked overnight so they were waking up to a sticky eighty-one degrees. In the large auditorium of the NYPD's central location, Meredeth plucked at the knee-length hem of her dress as she checked the battery in her camera. Beside her, Honey-Milk was looking very pregnant and puffy in the sudden onslaught of pre-summer heat. She'd donned a loose fitting floral print dress and flat sandals with gel-sole inserts to give her growing girth the extra comfort.

'You want some water?'

'If I drink anymore water, that kid's either going to drown or give my bladder a kick and going to the bathroom these days has become a major event.'

'We can go get a Popsicle, if you want. This thing won't start for another twenty minutes, and I saw a guy running a Cornetto truck around the corner.'

'No way. The temptation to stay in the cold-truck is far too tempting.' Honey-Milk turned her shining face to Meredeth. 'Do yourself a favour, never get pregnant so you're in your last trimester going into summer.'

'I don't know if that'll really be up to me but I appreciate the sentiment.'

Honey-Milk nodded. 'Kevin's glad Esposito finally took his calls. What was up with that?'

'He just needed to pout a few days, then have his ass kicked. Lucky for him, when I do the kicking, there's make-up sex involved. Best kind there is, aside from holiday sex and what-if-we-get-caught sex. Any of those three get you in your condition, Honey-Milk?'

'No comment,' was her immediate response. 'Hey how come Lanie isn't here for this?'

'She traded the day shift with Perlmutter's trainee so she could see her new squeeze tonight,' Meredeth replied. 'She's bringing him to our little soiree.'

'And remind me why again, we're going to The Harbour?'

'Because when Castle said he was taking us and our boys out for a night on the town, yours said he wanted to go for something different and unique,' she said pointing at Honey-Milk, then at herself, 'and mine said he wants to take me out dancing.'

'Dancing? The guy had surgery two weeks ago to close a gun-shot and now he wants to go dancing?' Honey-Milk shook her head. 'You do love a weird one.'

Meredeth opened her mouth to agree with her, but heard the bellow of the drum major followed by the staccato _rat-ta-tat_ of a snare drum. Both women stood along with the other spectators and turned, each holding a camera, as the NYPD's Pipe and Drum Band marched down the centre aisle to 'Scotland the Brave'. Behind the band came the Commanding Officer of Detectives, the Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Manhattan South, Captain Montgomery and behind him, Beckett, Esposito, and Ryan as well as the other uniformed patrol officers who'd been in on the bust to catch Ronald Sanders aka the Picasso Killer. All were in their spit-and-polish uniforms, complete with white gloves and previously-awarded medals pinned to theirs chests.

Tears sprang into Meredeth's eyes as she watched her cop, stoned faced and solemn, walk down the aisle. He'd forgone his sling as his dress uniform jacket gave him the necessary support. Unlike the others, who marched in with their arms straight down at their sides, he walked in with his left crooked at the elbow, hand resting over the buttons of his jacket. You wouldn't have guessed in the slightest, Meredeth pondered as she watched him walk to the raised platform, that only five days before, he'd admitted that his pain medication had taken the go-go from his mojo and he'd thanked her for a hand-job she'd given him to make him feel like himself again. Evidently, it had been exactly what the doctor ordered; he'd woken her up the next morning by returning the pleasure to her with his good hand before they got in the shower together and he'd begged her to make her chocolate-chip waffles. He hadn't done that once since he'd gotten home, when she'd offered to make them every morning for him and when he'd left the bathroom to dress while she brushed her teeth, she'd taken a moment to weep tears of relieved joy.

'They look great, don't they?' Honey-Milk whispered to Meredeth as their men walked past.

'Yes indeed they do.'

When the party reached the stage, Meredeth could see the Commissioner of Police, the Mayor and other assorted dignitaries - inexplicably including Castle - had gathered and were sitting on one side while the officers to be honoured went to the right and remained standing while the whole room sang the national anthem. Once they'd taken their seats, a tough faced mountain of a black man whose uniform was starched and pressed within an inch of its life approached the podium.

'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. I am Commanding Officer of Detectives Paul Bordelon,' he began in a voice that rumbled like a Mack truck. 'We have come here today to honour our officers of the Twelfth Precinct of Patrol Borough Manhattan South. It is because of these officers' dedication to the performance of duty, above and beyond the highly set standards of its Homicide division, that four families whose loved ones were taken so brutally and so tragically from them have found closure, if not comfort. I would like to call upon Assistant Chief James Milano, Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Manhattan South, to speak.'

Bordelon stepped back, took a seat beside the Mayor as a small Italian-looking man approached the microphone, adjusted it as he cleared his throat. 'Taylor Vincent, Prudence Ritz, Consuela Neves, Yook-Sin Kim. These four young women were taken from this world far too soon, by someone who believed he was above our laws. These seven officers you see seated before you went above and beyond the call of duty to apprehend him and prevent more tragedy from taking place. It is for this reason, therefore, that Patrol Officers Will Grimes, Zacariah Mendoza, Diana Mark and Jonah Grant are presented Medals for Excellent Police Duty, by the families of these four young women.'

Milano stepped back from the microphone as the four officers stood up and marched forward to have their ribbon pinned to their chest by brothers, sisters, husbands and parents, and shake the Assistant Chief's hand as he gave them their display medals. After the last one had returned to his seat behind the podium, Milano cleared his throat again. 'I would now like to call upon Captain Roy Montgomery of the Twelfth Precinct Homicide Division.'

Meredeth watched with eager anticipation as the coffee-skinned captain straightened his tie and spoke in his authoritative yet relaxed voice. 'For her exemplary leadership of a difficult and successful investigation, and for her bravery in the mission to apprehend the suspect, The New York Police Department awards Detective First-Grade Katherine Louise Beckett the Bronze Star Meritorious Commendation of Integrity.'

There was loud applause as Beckett stepped forward, and Meredeth could see her tell-tale swallow of someone fighting back tears as Montgomery shook her hand and spoke to her when he gave his detective the velvet box with her medal in it.

'For his bravery while incurring personal injury in the apprehension of the suspect, The New York Police Department awards Detective Second-Grade Javier Jimeno Esposito the Green Star of Exceptional Merit.'

This time, Meredeth didn't hold back the tears, instead letting them slide gracefully down her cheeks as she watched her man, still with his arm crooked approach Montgomery and receive his award. There'd been times in her life when she'd been prouder but at the moment, Meredeth couldn't recall them. She gripped Honey-Milk's hand tightly and felt her squeeze back in joyful support.

'For his exemplary bravery with complete disregard for personal injury in the apprehension of the suspect, the New York Police Department awards Detective Second-Grade Kevin Thomas Ryan the Medal of Valor.'

It was Honey-Milk now who squeezed Meredeth's arm tightly with one hand while the other supported her pregnant belly. Their heroes, she thought. Ryan had no sooner sat back down when Montgomery returned once more to the microphone.

'At this time, I would also like to present an award to the civilian consultant on this investigation. For his quick action to aid a fallen officer, it is my personal pleasure and honour to present to Richard Castle the Red Star of Civilian Service.'

Meredeth clapped loudly as she cheered for Castle as he walked to the podium to receive his honour, as loudly as she had for Esposito. She knew exactly why Castle was getting the award - had it not been for him calling the paramedics when they'd reached the building and knew there was a girl in with the killer, Esposito probably wouldn't be sitting on the stage watching his colleagues and friends be rewarded along with him.

There were other speeches and a short memorial video for each of the victims. By two in the afternoon, when Meredeth was certain she'd sweated out all her body's water supply, the pipe-and-drum corps marched the decorated officers out of the auditorium, followed by the dignitaries. Beside her, Honey-Milk held out her hand as the crowd began to disperse.

'A little help?' With a small groan Honey-Milk was pulled to her feet by Meredeth, and she sniffled slightly. 'God, I am such a whale now.'

'Come on there, Keiko, let's go find the boys.'

They made it through the crush of people in the reception room across the hallway from where the ceremony had been held. Since Honey-Milk's baby-bump arrived in places before the rest of her, they were given plenty of space as they made their way through the crowds. She scanned the various pockets of people, but Meredeth knew exactly where their hero cops would be found.

Sure enough, Esposito, Ryan and Beckett were all standing by the buffet along with Castle and the captain. Ryan had loaded up a plate with fruits and cheese and passed it to his bride the minute he saw her.

'You read my mind, sweetie,' Honey-Milk told him, greeting him with a warm kiss as she took the plate with him. 'And no. Get your own.'

'Congratulations, you guys, really.' Meredeth hooked her arm around Esposito's waist, pursed her lips when she saw the champagne flute in his left hand. 'You sure you can have that?'

'Doc told me this morning one glass wouldn't hurt. Besides I'm off the pain meds, just standard over the counter pharmacy stuff now. No different than having aspirin with a beer.'

'Ew.' But she kissed his cheek, then held out her hand. 'Let's see it.'

Esposito turned behind him to pick up the box he'd set on the buffet table and passed it to her. He'd been nervous as hell when he went into see the captain. He'd called her immediately when he'd been finished with the meeting, saying not only was he getting a star of meritorious service but that Ryan, because he'd tackled the suspect out the window like a full-back on Superbowl Sunday without a single hesitation, he would be getting the Medal of Valor and Castle would be getting a civilian honour as well. He'd gone home and celebrated with Meredeth; she'd drawn him a steaming hot bath with coconut milk-powder added to the water, then followed it up with a massage that had gotten him to a three. Combined with how she'd given him a little lovin' the night before, and he almost felt back to normal.

He'd never been so proud in his life as to see his Meredeth watching and waiting for him, camera in hand as he'd walked toward the stage. He'd wanted to scoop her up in a swirling hug then and there, but since he was only hours post-stitch removal and in uniform, he'd stayed where he was. Now, he could put his arm around her and sip champagne at the same time, which was essential at the moment.

'What do you think?' he asked her, as she ran her fingers over the medal. 'Pretty sexy, huh?'

'This part is. The not being able to stand your constant bitching, not so much.'

'Again, I'm sorry.'

'Well, you know how you're going to make it up to me.' Meredeth turned to him, lowering her voice as she tugged the front flap of his jacket. 'Think you could wear this before we...?'

His blood ran a little quicker in his veins, and he noted with a little beat of joy, into his loins; he patted his chest with pride at the boost to his male ego. 'You dig my blues?'

'Very.'

'Well, our night out on the town with the rest of them starts at seven-thirty tonight. Could be time for a little afternoon delight before we meet them.'

'How are you feeling right now, one-to-ten?'

'Maybe like I could hit three or four.'

She aid nothing, just pulled out her camera and flipped through one of the photos she'd taken the day before, when Ryan had taken him out for a bite to eat. 'How about if I wore that?'

Esposito tried to keep his eyes from bugging out of his head as he stared at the photo; the silk-and-lace she wore made the purple satin from their six-months look like a Victorian corset. 'Give me ten minutes, and we're out of here.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	33. Click: May 15

'What's the address again?'

'Thirteen-fifty-four Island View Boulevard.'

'Yep, this is it.'

Esposito turned the Nissan into the smooth, curving driveway of the East Hampton Village shore-house. Despite having worked with Castle for almost two and a half years now, he'd never been invited to the vacation spot; in fact the only one who'd seen it was Beckett, with obvious reason. The mansion - and it was definitely a mansion - was situated on the curve of the bay, protected by large oak and maple trees, a pale yellow structure with large panel windows and white gingerbread edging along the roof edges. There was a wide wraparound porch with white railing and a three-person swing-seat facing the water. Down the short hill leading to the water there was a small boathouse duplicating the architectural style of the main house.

'Wow.' Meredeth popped out the passenger door, shoved her sunglasses to her head. 'Some digs.'

'No shit. And to think Beckett turned this down last year for Demming the Lemming.'

'Who?'

'The guy Beckett was seeing last May, when she was trying to convince herself she wasn't into Castle,' he explained as he released the trunk latch to haul out their bags.

Meredeth watched him pull the luggage out and had to fight every natural instinct in her body to help him. He'd been to the doctor's the morning of his medal ceremony to have his stitches removed; Austin had taken a few minutes in the ER clinic with them to get Esposito set up with his physiotherapist, and told him that it was important for him to begin to minimally exercise his elbow joint. When Meredeth mentioned they were spending the weekend in the Hamptons, Austin suggested swimming lengths for short periods of time would be an excellent way to test his strength so handling their suitcases would probably fall along the same lines.

Leaving him with the bags, she opened the back door of the car to let Arturo out, who promptly went to sniffing the tires of the others cars parked in the driveway - Castle's rented Lincoln town-car in classic black and Honey-Milk's silver hybrid sedan. Meredeth had to grin at the little yellow placard in the back windshield's right corner, a mock-road sign with a picture of a long-legged bird with a bundle hanging from its beak. That would undoubtedly be Ryan's contribution; she'd never seen anyone so excited about becoming a father. Meredeth just prayed he wouldn't black out in the delivery room, like she'd seen Kristof do when his daughter had been born.

As Arturo's excited barks pierced the air, the screen door opened and Castle appeared in his beach-side wear of khaki shorts, leather sandals and an ancient navy blue sweatshirt with the words 'Pace' across the chest in faded yellow. He grinned broadly as the dog came racing towards him, gave him a warm scrub on the ears.

'Hey buddy, yeah, I miss you too.' he said to the mixed breed, who proceeded to give him a puppy-kisses facial. 'where's your mommy and daddy?'

'Daddy's getting the bags and Mommy's making sure Daddy doesn't hurt himself.' Meredeth smiled as she nudged the dog out of the way to give Castle a warm hug, making Arturo grumble protectively. 'Oh, calm down, you big puss. It's a hug.'

'Beckett's in the kitchen with Honey-Milk and Ryan's down at the boathouse making goo-goo eyes over my Bow Rider. Who knew that city boy had such a love of watercraft?'

'Oh yeah,' Esposito added, wiping the back of his hand across his brow. 'We went to the boat-show, I thought he was going to hyperventilate into asphyxia when he saw the Hustler 41 Razor V-Hull.'

'Something tells me when we take her out for a little cruise after dinner I shouldn't let him drive.'

'Where can I stow these?' Esposito asked gesturing to the luggage-on-wheels he dragged behind him.

'Oh, you're going to be down in the boathouse. We've got three main bedrooms up in the main house, and I just heard from Lanie this morning, she and Dave are coming up today. I'll give you a hand, Mere, Honey-Milk's been waiting for you.'

Castle waited until she'd gone inside and they'd started down the cut-stone steps towards the boathouse before adding, 'I figured you two would want the most private place I can offer you, since you're off your painkillers now.' He'd heard the whole story when he'd gone out for lunch with Ryan and Esposito to celebrate their honours from the city after their meeting in Montgomery's office.

'You figured right.'

'I'm sorry you had to go through that, man.' Castle thought about what his reaction would be if he was rendered temporarily incapable of making love with Beckett and knew that Esposito's sniping at Meredeth was a far more mature reaction than his would have been. 'But things are on the up? No pun intended.'

'Yeah. I mean, we haven't actually done the deed since before I was shot, but we've had our moments.'

'You didn't want to ask your doc for some little blue happy pills?'

'I asked when he told me about the side-effects of the pain-meds and he said I couldn't risk a drug interaction. And not that I don't appreciate the support, but I'd really like to stop talking about my malfunctioning troubles. They are behind me now, and I plan on making up for lost time with Meredeth as much as I can this weekend.'

'Hence why this is your cabin for the weekend.'

Castle, having noted the small sheen of sweat on Esposito's brow, took both the suitcases from him and went up the stairs to the boathouse's main door. Esposito whistled lowly as he looked around: it was a single spacious room, a bedroom, kitchen and living room all in one open concept, with a bathroom off to the side of the fridge. The atmosphere was welcoming, with warm cream paint and Scandanavian style furniture and glossy green and white tiles. There was a bowl of fresh local fruit on the kitchen island and the bed looked soft as a silk-spun cloud with the one o'clock sun streaming through the windows.

'Looks fantastic.'

'Just remember, sound really carries here, so if you're tempted to leave the windows open, don't forget to close them.'

Esposito laughed. 'Let's go find Ryan, see if he's still drooling over your boat.'

* * *

Around seven that night, the sun had just started to sink behind the trees and make the bay glitter like a handful of diamonds had been scattered across the surface. The air was ripe with the tantalizing aroma of barbecue smoke that came from Castle's barbecue which Esposito had volunteered to man. Clutching a bottle of Stella Artois in his hand, he nudged the grilling beef, turkey and veggie burgers with a stainless steel flipper, Ryan sitting on the rail of the porch.

'You look good, bro.'

'Thanks but I've got a girlfriend.'

Ryan laughed. 'You know what I mean.'

'I know.' Esposito sipped his beer, gave the burgers a flip. 'Why am I making you a veggie burger?'

'Jenny's off meat right now.'

'The smell?'

'No, the concept of eating animals altogether when she's . So I'm doing the vegetarian thing with her until the baby's born.'

'Wow.' If that wasn't commitment, Esposito thought, what was? 'You ready for it?'

'I'm scared to death. But in a good way, you know? Like when we're going after a suspect and we get him, or when you're on a roller coaster.'

Esposito shuddered. He loathed roller-coasters with a deep-seated passion. Still, he understood his partner's point, and tapped his beer bottle against Ryan's. 'I'm happy for you, man.'

Ryan grinned his foolish expectant-papa grin as Jenny toddled to the door, one hand on the side of her ever-expanding tummy. 'There's my girl,' he crooned when she came over to lean against the rail of the porch beside him. 'How are you doing?'

'Hungry. I can't stop eating these days, it's awful.'

'You're burning calories for two, though, sweetie.' Ryan wrapped his arm around her shoulder's reassuringly. 'And I hear when you breast-feed it helps burn off the baby-weight.'

'You just like seeing my boobs,' she retorted, then clapped a hand over her mouth. 'Sorry, Javier, you don't really need to hear about that kind of thing, do you?'

Beside his wife Ryan sent Esposito a fiendish look. 'Consider it even the score from that little phone-call incident.'

'There's a difference between your baby mama talking about nursing her child and you being clueless to the fact you were interrupting sex.' In spite of himself, Esposito's head went a little fuzzy as he remembered that night with Meredeth.

The door to the kitchen slid open, and Meredeth stuck her head out. 'You ready for cheese and bread, there, chef?'

'Sure thing.'

'Come on, Daddy.' Sensing that Esposito wanted a moment alone with Meredeth, Honey-Milk tugged on her husband's hand. 'You can help me chop onions.'

When the parents-to-be had gone back inside, Meredeth took up Ryan's spot on the porch rail. 'Should we all say a prayer before we eat your cooking?'

'It's the one thing I can claim any pride over in the kitchen.' Esposito held out his beer to her, which she promptly took a sip from. 'And besides, how hard is it to screw up burgers? Don't answer that,' he said before she could open her mouth to reply. 'Just don't.'

'Okay.' She chuckled a little as the hundred or so little comebacks she could have replied with died on her tongue.

'So I was thinking, after dinner and our boat cruise tonight, we might turn in early.'

Meredeth, who'd been watching the ripples of the water along the shore line with lazy relaxed interest, whipped her head around. 'Are you feeling okay?'

'Yeah, I just know later, after dinner, I will be overcome with fatigue and be in dire need to lie down in our room, with you keeping me company.'

'That's probably just fatigue from medication withdrawal. It takes the body a lot of energy to get rid of chemicals, even if they are the kind that are supposed to help you.'

Esposito laughed. For all her intuition, there were sometimes when she could be completely oblivious to the big red flags waving in front of her face. Setting down his beer and burger-flipper, he crossed to her and put his hands on her waist to twist her body so they were face to face. 'I mean, you silly girl, I want you...in bed...with me,' he murmured, cruising his lips over her cheek.

Desire, dark and decadent, began to slink through her veins as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 'What are you thinking? Like a five or six?'

'Seven.'

'Seven? That's ambitious.'

'Just you wait.'

* * *

True to his word, Meredeth saw him pretend to fade off after dinner, feigning yawns like a champ; thankfully it was Castle who made the suggestion he go take a rest. As they all knew he was just three days off his pills, no one was outwardly suspicious. Or, if their ruse was terribly transparent, they at least had the good grace and class to go along with the charade that Meredeth would keep him company.

When they'd arrived back at the boathouse, after a quick check of the windows, Esposito helped his cause along by stripping off his clothes and hopping in bed completely naked. Normally, the undressing phase was part of the seduction, but right now, all he wanted was to be with his Meredeth; the need in him at an all-time high.

Once she'd dimmed the lights, she crawled in beside him also naked; she'd barely hit the sheets when she found herself trapped under him, her mouth being savaged by a greedy kiss. She let out a squeak when his hands streaked over her body.

'Easy there, champ,' she told him with a light laugh, 'you're not the Terminator just yet.'

'Come with me if you want to live,' was his response, in his best Arnold impersonation, which made Meredeth giggle even more. The giggle ended on a gasp when he splayed his hand between her breasts and brushed his thumb over her still-soft nipple; he felt himself harden when the little bump of sensitive skin contracted under his touch so it was taught. Bending his head, he brushed his lips teasingly over the heated peak, then flicked his tongue over her.

Meredeth groaned, a sound of deeply pleasurable satisfaction. 'You haven't lost your touch,' she murmured. Though it had only been three weeks, when they were intimate in one way or another at least four times in any given week, nearly a month off was akin to a century. She arched her torso off the bed while her hips moved back, digging her fingers into his back to pull him close. She hooked one leg over his hip, opening herself up to him even more.

Despite all the desire in the world, Esposito knew his endurance was still hindered by the lingering medication in his system, but thankfully, his woman had been so turned on by their first time together since his injury that she was just as wet as she would normally be if he'd taken his time on her body. Taking her hand in his, he pressed a kiss to her palm before lowering it to where he longed to be joined with her. Understanding was euphoric as she took him in her hand and helped guide him in as he kept his mouth on hers.

Because she knew it would be easier on his arm, Meredeth wrapped her other leg around his waist and rolled so she was on top of him, rocked her hips against his as he ran his hands over her skin. She put her hands on his chest to keep him flat on his back while he pressed his own to the small of her back, saw his his eyes shut as his breathing hitched. She leaned forward so they were almost nose to nose.

'Come with me,' she murmured as the crest of sensation began to roll through her body. She kept her hands where they were, felt his hips urge her on as she came in one white-hot burst of light, felt him follow her.

When his trembling had subsided, she laid her head against his chest so she could hear his heart beating a jungle tempo.

'Seven,' she managed. 'Definitely seven.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	34. Click: May 16 A

On the Saturday of the long weekend, the forecasts lived up to the much-hyped promise of a pre-summer heat wave as the sun blazed over East Hampton Village, making the thermometers cry for mercy; even the die-hard radio weathermen were 'golly-Moses-ing' over the fact the temperature at sunrise was seventy-seven and would reach a high of eighty-nine by one pm.

As a result, the entire household of Castle's summer place agreed the best place to be was on the shore. Honey-Milk had set-up her own little station, where she was out of the sun under a large red striped umbrella, in a long loose dress that reminded Meredeth of Rocket Popsicles; as Lanie's new man Dave didn't swim, he offered to stay on shore with her while the rest took the boat out of the bay to a little swim-spot Castle knew of to beat the heat.

'Are you sure you're okay?' Ryan asked, torn between going with his friends and staying with his wife, as he loaded coolers of cold drinks into the back of the Bow Rider.

'Sweetie, I'm fine, Dave's a paramedic. If anything happens to me, he'll radio the boat and take care of me. Besides, I know you really want to go in that boat.'

'I really do.'

Meredeth watched the exchange between them, saw Ryan kiss his bride as he lay his palm against their baby before hopping over the gunwale, eager as a puppy. 'I think you must have been Davey Jones in a past life, Ry,' she commented as he helped her into the boat, then went to the bow. As Meredeth took her seat, she saw Beckett carrying a stack of towels towards the boat and immediately felt her self-confidence plummet. The very beautiful Kate Beckett could have made a fortune as a model, meaning anytime she was around, Meredeth automatically sucked in her stomach under her shirt in embarassment. It wasn't often she felt insecure about her body around these two women, but hearing Beckett talk about wearing her swimsuit the night before, and Lanie all tiny and exotic, Meredeth had suddenly felt sexy as cold mashed potatoes.

'Only Castle would take five grown adults to a place referred to as the old swimming hole at the Hamptons.'

Meredeth glanced up as Lanie bounced up, saw she was beach-dressed in an athletic blue one piece with a print of white hibiscus forming a sash descending from the left shoulder. She'd tied a flowing white scarf around her wild black curls and a matching wrap-skirt at her waist to complete the ensemble; it made Meredeth feel very unfashionable in her oversized Blackhawks t-shirt and baggy cotton shorts.

'It does sound fun.'

Lanie tipped her sunglasses down, wiggled her eyebrows. 'You got a bikini all picked out that'll make Esposito have a stroke? Maybe get you two all tangle up in the seaweed?'

'I might just stay on the boat, keep an eye on you guys while you swim.'

Lanie kept her sunglasses tipped down as she stared at Meredeth's face. She'd gone from being bubbly to deathly quiet in the time it had taken them to get from the house to the boat launch. 'Bullshit. Don't you wanna head out on the boat, cool off in the water, work on your tan?'

'Sure, I'm just not always so comfortable in a swimsuit around other people, you know? It's one thing when I hit the pool to do laps, but this kind of swimming with you and Kate-'

'Oh, that, yeah I learned a little trick. If you just remember Beckett's an alien, that little blip goes away.'

'She's an alien?' Meredeth looked again at the tall, slim brunette and for a moment envisioned an entire spaceship full of equally tall brunettes; Lanie was right, it did work. 'Well that would explain why she's wearing green.'

'Lanie, think fast!' Esposito had appeared on the dock, tossed her a swimming noodle; Meredeth felt her heart give a hiccup when she saw him. He was gorgeous, all golden and warm and toned, the blue and red boarding shorts he'd chosen making him look like he was carved out of amber.

Lanie caught the foam tube in her hand, threw it back to him when he jumped down into the bow of the boat. 'In a minute. Girl talk. Shoo.'

'In a minute,' he echoed, taking a few seconds to wrap his arms around Meredeth from behind over the smooth creamy flesh of her curved stomach he found under her shirt. 'Cannot wait to see what you've got on underneath here.'

'You don't think I'll look like a gelatinous white fish?'

'Please, you in a bikini? That's got seven-eight all over it.'

Meredeth perked up at this, turned around to face him. 'Seven-eight, huh?'

His only response was a wink as he went to help Castle with the gas cans, making Meredeth realize how foolish she was being. How could she possibly be so down on her herself when he told her to her face that seeing her in a swimsuit would have him at full attention? On a giggle she sat back down beside Lanie, who merely gave her the wall-eye.

'You were saying, Meredeth?' she said in a teasing tone as Castle hopped in to start the motor. 'Relax, girl, this will be fun.'

Meredeth felt her nerves slide away like soap down the drain, then laughed when Castle gunned the motor to speed them up the north shore of the bay, Ryan actually yelling 'yee-hah' on the way. Meredeth closed her eyes, and felt the salty spray on her face, the warm glow of the sun on her skin. There was something so calming about being on the water, that made her feel totally Zen with nothing and no-one getting in her way. Opening them back up, she looked at the people on the boat and got a little jolt of the picture they made: Lanie looking like she was on a Caribbean cruise, Castle shirtless and wearing sunglasses as he steered the craft through the water, Kate in the seat behind him with her hair blowing wildly around her face, Ryan wrapping layers of plastic wrap around his arm cast so he could join in, and of course, her Javi, golden as honey and bent at the waist to rest his elbows on his knees. This was her little family, she thought with a grin, and self-conscious or not, she refused to let her anxiety get the better of her because in the end, these people were thrilled just to have her along for the ride and one above all the others would call her beautiful no matter what.

They made it safely up to a small cove, unmarked and uninhabited by any property. The water was shallow, roughly ten feet deep and clear enough that they could see the purely sandy bottom.

'Shouldn't we have some bang-sticks with us, in case of sharks?' Lanie asked, peering over the side of the boat. 'I'm not wussing out, but I've also seen _Jaws_ more times than is healthy.'

Castle dropped the anchor, turned and pointed. 'See those purple floats out there?' he pointed to the two buoys floating about fifteen feet from the boat's stern. 'Those are safety-net markers. Anything bigger than a sardine tries to get through, they'll get a zap for their troubles and they won't be back for more.'

'Works for me!' Ryan peeled off his shirt, the bruises from his tackling of the Picasso Killer out the window visible on his torso; they apparently weren't troubling him anymore, as he launched himself off the wet-dock of the boat and went face-first into the water. He popped out a few seconds later, floating like a cork. 'This is great! It's like a nice warm bath! Come on in!'

'You got it, bro. Banzai!' Esposito yelled it as he did his best cannon ball into the water behind his partner; he was followed by Castle doing the same thing, who came up spitting out salt water.

'Unpleasant,' the writer groused, treading water and twisting to see the three women were still on the boat. 'Chickens!'

'That's what you think!' Beckett hollered back, tugging on the snap of her board shorts. She saw Castle's eyes pop wide as she slid them down over her hips to reveal tiny bottoms with yellow polka-dots on the fanny. 'Chicken, what?'

'You're wearing an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot bikini,' he breathed, pulled her toward him for a lingering kiss when she joined him in the water.

Lanie only shook her head, untied her skirt. 'Normally, if I'm stripping for an audience, I've had a lot more alcohol and there's some kind of eighties hair-band music playing!'

'We don't need to relieve Karpowski's bachelorette right now, Doctor,' Beckett hollered as she treaded water beside her boyfriend. He looked so tasty without his shirt; she always loved being reminded that it was all Castle under his suits. 'And toss us a few noodles.'

The swim-toys hit the water seconds before Lanie did, leaving Meredeth the only one still full dressed and out of the water.

'Save the best for last, eh?' Esposito grinned as he hooked a blue noodle under his arms, like he was hanging off the edge of a pool. 'Let's see what you got, babe.'

He watched her with anticipation, knowing she had no clue how the shyness that gripped her whenever she was outside her comfort zone made him love her all the more. Her shorts hit the deck, and when she tugged the t-shirt over her head, he was very thankful his body below his armpits was submerged, otherwise it'd have been very awkward indeed.

She'd opted for black, threaded with metallic rainbow colours and covering no more than the essentials on top; while her bottoms were a little more modest and fashioned like skin-tight board-shorts with the metallic rainbow material forming the waist-band. He'd seen women in bikinis before, but not his Meredeth, and the way she filled out the top, well, she was going to be in for a surprise when they got back to the boathouse, that was for damn sure. He could see her hands run nervously over her stomach, to her tattoo where they drummed a little. Then, she was in the water, popping up like some mystical vanilla mermaid and kicking her way over to him with her long legs. He also noted, adding to his very x-rated delight, that the salt water was buoying up her breasts, making those delicious curves float near the surface.

'Seven-eight?' she asked him in a low voice, leaning in for a kiss. His lips were warm, and salty from the water.

'And then some.'

She grinned, the same rush she got when she wore her sexy lingerie for him flowing in her veins.

'Hey, kissy-face!' The shout came from Castle. 'Ryan thinks he can hold his breath underwater longer than you!'

'Duty calls, babe.'

Meredeth giggle as she watched her boyfriend swim over, his arm apparantly giving him little trouble, to compete in a juvenile contest with his police partner. She followed them over, letting her feet drift in the water as she floated with the swim-noodle as she ranged herself with Beckett and Lanie.

'Boys and their contests, eh? Never changes.'

Beckett swirled her fingertips in the water. 'You'd think they were seven years old again,' she agreed, tipping her head back to dampen her hair.

'Speaking of seven.' Lanie lowered her voice so the boys wouldn't hear them. 'What exactly did Esposito mean when we were leaving, Mere?'

'Hmm?'

'He said you in a bikini is a seven-eight, easy.'

Meredeth snickered a little. 'I can't tell you that.'

'Oh, it's okay to pull the ol' 'not feeling well, going to lie down' bit last night, but that is too much to ask?'

'I _knew_ no one was going to buy that.'

'We're not going to tell anyone,' Lanie pointed out. 'Beckett and I work with all three of them, and the last thing we're going to do is jeopardize professional or personal relationships. On top of which, we're your friends. You can trust us to be discreet.'

Meredeth blew out a breath. 'You know he was on pain-meds for his gun-shot wound, right? Well, one of the side-effects was the, ah...flag staying at half-mast, so to say.'

'Damn, that's rough.'

'Anyways, I didn't know that until we had a little tiff and he told me he knew he was being a complete ass to me, and as much as he wanted to have mind-blowing make-up sex, he physically couldn't do it which was the reason he was being such a jerk in the first place. So I asked him on a scale of one-to-ten, with one being a worm and ten being reinforced titanium how he felt. Now that he's mostly back to himself, he's started using it as a scale of how...in the mood he's feeling,' she finished on a small blush, waiting for either one of them to laugh. Instead, Beckett reached over and patted her hand.

'I think that's very sweet.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, it is.' Lanie lowered her legs in the water, so she was floating upright. 'Moreover, it proves we all have reason to hate a little you having such a great sex life.'

Before Meredeth could respond, Esposito popped up out of the water gasping for air, holding his hands in defeat. 'I give, you win,' he said to the surfacing Ryan, then swam over to Meredeth. Because they were underwater, he pulled her into his arms like Rhett and Scarlett and gave her a noisy kiss. 'He beat me,' he said with a mock pout.

'Poor baby. Want me to kiss it better?'

'Naturally.' His voice turned serious for a moment. 'My arm is cramping up a little; I could use a massage when we get back to the boathouse. Did you bring that coconut stuff?'

'Of course.'

'Excellent.' As he swam over to the boat, hauled himself up on the ladder, Meredeth heard the other two women snickering a little. She turned her head, them shaking theirs.

'I take it back,' Lanie said. 'Now I hate you a lot.'

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	35. Click: May 16 B

'Meredeth, wake up.'

'Nhh.' Meredeth felt a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder, blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes. It was dark outside and her head was foggy yet she could still make out the outline of Esposito standing by her side of the bed. 'Time-zit?'

'Just past midnight.'

'Ugh, you didn't have to wake me up to let me know you were back.' Meredeth yawned; while all the men had decided on a spot of night-fishing, she and the girls had killed a pitcher or two of Tom Collins and they'd all decided to hit the sack early on account of them being too daffy to safely have a fire on the sandy shore.

'No, get up, I have a little surprise for you.'

The word _surprise_ had her sitting up like a mummy. 'I like surprises.'

'I know. Come on.'

He watched as she fumbled for shorts and a shirt, find her flip-flops to carry down out of the boathouse. With her hand in his, they made their way to the Bow-Rider which was ready to go and just waiting for its passengers. Despite still only being half awake, Meredeth managed to give him the fish-eye.

'We're going out on the boat?'

'To start, yes.' Esposito hopped in, then took her hand to guide her step down. 'Have a seat.'

'Do you know how to drive this thing?'

'Actually I do. My first two years in the NYPD, I worked water patrol.'

He turned on the engine, eased the boat away from the dock and glided it out to the sea-lane so as not to wake Castle's snooty Hampton neighbours. When they were sufficiently away, he gunned the motor and used the bow flood lights like head-lamps. Every time Meredeth, who was now fully awake, asked where they were going, he responded with a teasing, 'you'll find out.' Finally, they reached the little cove he'd spotted on his way back with the guys, and an idea had struck. He'd convinced Castle to let him take the boat out on his own just with Meredeth, and knew she would definitely appreciate what he had up his sleeve.

He dropped the anchor in the cove, just as private and secluded and safe as the one they'd gone to that afternoon. Without a word, he went up to the bow and moved the portable flood lamps to the stern by the wet-dock so it gave them sufficient light. Once he'd finished setting his stage, he turned back to Meredeth and pulled her to her feet.

'Now will you tell me what you're up to?' she demanded, curiosity outweighing patience in her tone.

'What we're up to,' he corrected her, then pulled his t-shirt over his head. 'We're going swimming.'

'But I didn't bring my suit.'

'Neither did I.'

'You mean...' Meredeth trailed off as he kicked off his sandals, reached for the draw-strings on his board-shorts. Arousal was quick and brutal when she watched him shove them down, then them to the side with his shoes. 'Like naked swimming?'

'What, you've never gone before?'

'Not in the ocean at night.'

'First time for everything.' With a grin, Esposito swung his legs over the stern so he stood on the wet-dock, then jumped in. He surfaced, shook his head to clear the water from his eyes. 'Come on in, water's great.'

'Are you crazy? I'm not jumping in the water naked!'

'Okay, fully-clothed then, but that's not nearly as much fun.'

Meredeth gave him a look as a thought occurred. 'You got this idea when all us girls dropped trou on the boat while the three of you watched like you were at a topless bar, didn't you?'

'Somewhat. But it's just you and me now.' Esposito kicked his way over to the wet-dock, propped his elbows on it. His cross winked with water droplets in the light of the flood-lamp. 'So what's it going to be?'

Meredeth said nothing, just went over to the boat's in-dash stereo and found a Bruce Springsteen greatest-hits disc on the stereo. She selected a rather on-the-nose song - Dancing in the Dark - and as the opening chords drifted into the air, she began to move in time with the beat. Closing her eyes, she ran her hands over her body, began to flip open the buttons of her shirt one at a time, keeping her movements deliberately slow against the bright beat of the music.

Esposito watched her with greedy interest; this was definitely something new. He'd seen her undress countless times before at home, but taking off work clothes was no where near the same category as this performance. She turned so her back was to him as she slid the cotton from her shoulders down her back so her curves were in silhouette, tossed it aside before her hands went to her hips to slide both shorts and panties down to the floor. Before he could say something clever, she was over the stern and jumping into the water just behind him. Her skin, a blooming peachy colour from the afternoon in the sun, glowed in the artificial light that bathed them.

'Now why didn't you do something like that this afternoon?' he asked her, as she swam over to join him at the wet-dock.

'Because I don't think that Castle and Ryan would have the same appreciate for my nakedness like you do.'

'That's true. I like keeping this to myself.' He drifted closer to kiss her; her lips were soft and yielding under his, and indulged himself by reach out to graze her breast. He heard her sigh, but forced himself to pull his hand back. He wanted her wrapped around him, but he also didn't feel like drowning either. Instead he shoved off the wet dock, began to side-stroke to the edge of the light from the flood-lamps. 'Come on. Nothing like a midnight skinny-dip.'

Meredeth smiled, followed him out. When they'd reached the edge of their safe-zone, she floated on her back a little, then quickly righted herself. 'Oh, that's not pleasant for the twins,' she groaned, rubbing her hand over her breasts that had gotten a sudden draft of night air.

'Looks good from over here.' Esposito wiggled his eyebrows, and got a shove in the shoulder for his troubles. 'Hey! I'm still healing!'

'Want me to kiss you all better?'

'You read my mind.'

They swam back to the anchored boat, rested their arms on the wet-dock. For a brief moment, Meredeth wondered how the hell they were going to make love when they were free-floating, but the thought left her head when Esposito hoisted himself onto the wet-dock so all but his legs were out of the water. She joined him, sitting beside him with dripping wet hair.

Then his mouth was on hers, warm and salty from the water, as he put his hand on her cheek. 'I love you, Meredeth,' he murmured. 'I love you so much.'

'I love you too.'

She pulled him close, then felt herself tipping back to stretch out on the wet-dock as he pressed his body into hers. When he nudged her thighs apart, her eyes popped wide as she felt him - all of him - hot and hard against her damp skin.

'Hello, Detective.'

He grinned widely. 'I don't think we need to worry about that one-to-ten thing anymore.'

'Definitely not.'

He kissed her, circling her wrists with his hands and raising them over her head. She was soft and dewy, and delicious, the scent of her skin - sweat and sunblock - drawing him in. Hoping to keep her off balance, since it'd been working so well for him tonight, Esposito moved his mouth over her neck, down to one of her breasts; he kissed and nipped at her flesh before he suckled at her, flicking his tongue over the heated point in bullet-time. He felt his own blood pulse quicker when she arched against him, that sweet centre of heat pressing against him in anticipation.

Meredeth breathed deeply as he used his mouth on her, staring up at the stars as the warm breeze stirred the shore-lining maples and oaks. The feeling of the air on her skin after being in the warm water made her nerve-endings sizzle; everything seemed to be heightened. His hands left her wrists and were streaking down her torso, allowing her to clutch at his back, pulling him tight against her. She wanted to drown in him, his scent and his skin.

He'd moved his hands down her body, and bracing himself, he stroked one up the inside of her leg, watched her gulp as each pass he went higher and higher. But he liked keeping her on her toes, even when she was off her feet, and instead of satisfying the craving he knew he'd stirred, he moved his mouth from her breast down her stomach, past her scar and her tattoo to the sweet spot between her thighs.

'God!' The oath was a sharp slap on the soft night air, as Meredeth felt her eyes cross in sheer ecstasy. She let her head fall back against the wet dock as she made no attempt to hold back her whimpers of pleasure. She flung one hand out blindly looking for purchase, heard it splash into the water. 'Don't stop, Javi.'

'Never.' She was so sensitive here, he thought, every touch sending electric sparks rocketing through her system. Again, because he knew her so intimately, he ran his hand over the soft flesh of her thigh, slipped a finger inside as he left his mouth on her and heard her choke out his name. He felt her clench maddeningly around him, hardening him to the point of nothing other than being inside her would sate him.

Before she hit flash-point, Esposito lifted his head, running a trail of kisses over her belly, pausing at her tattoo before continuing upwards until he reached her mouth and pressed his lips against hers, his body strung so tightly he all but vibrated with need.

'Javi.' She gripped his wrist, looked deep into his eyes. 'I love you.'

It was all he needed to hear. He slid into her, reveling in the way she gave off that little 'oh'; every time, he thought, every time they came together like this, it was like the first time, there was always that little element of surprise. Bracing his upper body like he was about to do push ups, he thrust himself deep inside and she matched him, stroke for deliriously tantalizing stroke; the ferocity of their love-making set the boat to rocking gently in the calm water.

Meredeth wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his shoulders. He was back, was all she could think, her Javi was back in full fighting trim. When she heard him give a little groan and pause, her dreamy floating sensation vanished. She looked at him, saw him wince uncomfortably.

'Javi, what is it?'

'My arm, it seized up.'

'Do you want to stop?'

Esposito looked at her like she'd sprouted a third eye. 'Hell no.'

'Okay, let's try a different position, then.'

He thought about it for a moment, then sat up, pulling her with him and turned so she was straddling him with his back against the stern of the boat and his hand on her waist. Taking her hand, he kissed her fingertips and held it against his chest as she began to rock her hips against his. He combed his fingers through her hair to brush it off her face, so he could see her lovely eyes, so dark with desire the blue had nearly disappeared.

'Come for me,' he murmured, pulling her towards him to kiss her, long and deep. No longer content with the speed they'd set for each other, he gripped her hips and changed it so his need took over, hard and fast as lightening. He heard her cry out, felt her nails dig into his shoulders then freeze as her body went ridge but her hips urged him on. As he heard her sigh his name, profess her love for him, he buried his face in her throat and let the orgasm flood through him.

'Top five,' she mumbled, chest heaving as she struggled to get her breath back.

'Umm, top ten.'

'Really?'

'Well, there was Christmas Eve, Valentine's, the night Ryan interrupted us, our six months and the first time on your kitchen floor.'

Meredeth kissed his shoulder, chuckled. 'Okay, ten, then. How's your arm?'

'Still cramped but much better. And now for part two.' When she looked at him with surprise, he laughed a rich hearty laugh. 'Being off the meds didn't turn me into Superman, Mere. And part two is less x-rated than baby-making practice on the back of Richard Castle's speed boat.'

With a gentle shove, Esposito moved her off his lap, then swung himself back into the boat, helped her in after him. He unearthed his thick green bathrobe and a zipped hoodie and sweats from the cubby under the wheel. 'Here, don't want you getting sick when I'm finally back to myself,' he told her as he passed her the robe.

She it pulled on, breathed deep his lingering scent on the fabric, then looked around when she heard the pop of a wine cork. Glancing over, she saw he'd stowed a bottle of wine and two glasses on board. He'd put on the hoodie and sweats and passed her a glass as they sat down; Esposito stretched his legs out in front of him while Meredeth had turned herself sideways on the stern bench, her head resting against his lap as he draped his healing arm over her body.

'This is unexpected,' she told him, sipping what she realized was merlot; it hadn't been possible to determine what it was in the darkness.

'I wanted to do something this weekend since we missed our seven months, on account of me being in the hospital. I figured midnight swim followed by a little lovin' and some nice wine would be fun.'

'Oh, baby.' Touched, Meredeth gave the hand resting on her tummy a squeeze.

'And I also got to cross number four off my top five sex-fantasies with you off the list.'

Meredeth craned her neck to look at him. 'Dare I ask what else is on there?'

'Well, let's see.' Esposito drank deeply, studied Meredeth's face, soft and relaxed from their water sports. 'You and me on my desk at work is top of the list, then chocolate-dipped _skede_, phone sex, and the two of us going at it like teenagers in the Nissan at the drive-in.'

'Good list.'

'I think so.'

As they drank their wine and watched the star-filled sky, they might as well have been the only two people in the world.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	36. Click: May 17 A

_Hello everyone! So this chapter and the next one were originally one big chapter that I broke into two pieces. Spread the love (and the word!) and happy reading!_

* * *

On Sunday morning, the temperature remained high but winds from the southeast brought in ominous thunder clouds that pelted the shore with fat splattering raindrops. From the spacious kitchen of the main house, Meredeth watched the water lap and wash against the rocks and shore as she peeled potatoes for home-fries. She loved this time of day, a warm wet weekend so peaceful and lazy. Well, mostly lazy, as Arturo had scented breakfast being made and followed his nose to the kitchen. The dog had apparently taken a shine to the baby-mama and followed her around the house and property like he was magnetized.

'If he's being a pain, just tell him to go away.'

'It's sweet. He can tell there's something happening with me, but can't quite figure it out.' Beside her, Honey-Milk scrambled eggs in a bowl, added pepper and dill and chose her words carefully. 'So, you have a good sleep?'

'Yeah, why?'

'Just figured you might be kind of tired from getting off the water late, is all.' When Meredeth's hands froze on the pile of potatoes, Honey-Milk pursed her lips to keep from laughing out loud. 'I was up for a late-night snack. Arturo needed to go out, and I heard the motor when we were back on the porch.'

Feeling a little foolish, Meredeth continued peeling. 'Oh, that. Javi took me out for a little date on the boat.'

'That's it?' When Meredeth's hand slipped on the potato, Honey-Milk shook her head. 'Details, please. You gonna share or am I gonna have to yank on your tongue?'

'You might as well give in.'

Both women turned to see Lanie wander in to the kitchen wearing leggings and a long baby-doll sleep-shirt. Her hair was messy and tangled, her eyes still at half-mast as she reached for the coffee pot. 'Once this girl gets it in her head to find something out, there's no living with her.'

'I can't talk about sex with Javi to you two, it's strange.'

'Why not? I didn't get this way by magic,' Honey-Milk pointed out. 'One juicy little detail. That's all I ask. Just one.'

Meredeth rinse the peeled potatoes, considered it. She hadn't had girlfriends like this in awhile who wanted to know about those intimate details, had forgotten that it was okay to have these girls-only talks with friends without feeling like she was betraying her boyfriend. Besides Esposito went to Castle and Ryan for locker-room talk in pretty much the same damn way so who was he to judge her? 'We literally did it on the water; we were on the wet-dock of the boat. Easier on his arm.'

Honey-Milk pushed the cooking eggs around in the pan. 'Give it a proper christening, did you?'

'Oh Castle and Beckett already took care of that before you guys got here.' Lanie rose from her seat at the island to pour more coffee and help with breakfast. She knew Beckett would blush and steam a little over Lanie spilling details, but she also knew Beckett would demand to know all the dirty dish if Lanie had any to share, too. 'Why do you think she took Friday off extra?'

'So that's two of us this weekend.' Meredeth picked up her juice glass. 'Honey-Milk, think you and Ryan might make it a hat-trick?'

'Not a chance. The belly requires space, lots of padded, cushioned space if there's any of that going on. Yes we're talking about you,' she said aloud, patting her tummy before dismissing the concerned look on her friends' faces. 'He or she wiggles around when I talk about him or her.'

Leaving the potatoes to sizzle, Meredeth, then pulled out a wrapped package of bacon from the fridge. 'Have you and Ryan reached detante on the naming front?'

'Oh yeah.' Lanie chuckled as she remembered the on-going debate Ryan had been having with his wife, even having a classic daddy-to-be moment when Honey-Milk had burst into tears on the phone and he'd spent most of his coffee break calming her down, promising her the sun, the stars, her favourite ice cream and movie-rental when he was off shift to appease her. 'I think at last check it was Sophia Jordan for a girl and Patrick Paul for a boy.'

'I thought it was Joanna Mercedes for a girl and Mackenzie Finn for a boy.'

'Now it's neither.' Honey-Milk explained, spooning her eggs into a serving dish and lidding it before sitting down on one of the short island chairs where she'd set up her little cheese-grating station to continue being helpful while she had a seat. 'If it's a girl, Agatha Bernadette, or Abby for short. If it's a boy Thomas Delaney, or Dell for short.'

Lanie finished making fresh coffee, then began to pull containers of fresh fruit from the fridge. 'Good names.'

'Well, they need to _feel_ right, you know? Oh, looking who I'm saying this to, a professional author,' Honey-Milk laughed as Meredeth chased the frying potatoes around in a pan. 'I remember you saying in an interview in _Quill & Ink_ you always chose your names deliberately with reason, especially those who've been based off of a real person.'

'You can't just randomly use a name. It has to mean something. Like with Tabitha, her name is 'gazelle' in Aramaic, I thought that would be good for someone who moves quickly and spiritedly.'

A loud growl came from the opposite side of the island. Immediately Meredeth's hand tightened on the frying pan. 'Artie, what is it boy?' When she heard nothing for a moment, then another growl from the dog, she picked up the paring knife ready to throw it at a mouse or chipmunk as she rounded the counter. Relief gave way to hilarity when she saw her dog staring at Honey-Milk's stomach like it was going to attack him. When Meredeth saw it jiggle again, Arturo gave another growl and laughed. 'Oh, puppy-kins,' she giggled, setting down the paring knife and rubbing his head. 'It's not an alien invasion, it's just a baby growing in there.'

Arturo wriggled out of his mistress' grip and laid his chin on Honey-Milk's leg, watching her belly with the intensity of a sniper waiting for his mark. He sniffed wildly, pricking up his ears when her stomach gurgled and let out another yip when he saw the movement of the belly.

The sliding doors off the kitchen opened, and Esposito wandered in, still heavy-eyed but freshly showered. The medical pressure-sleeve he'd put on the night before was just visible under the hem of his t-shirt sleeve. 'What's the mutt yapping about?'

'He thinks Honey-Milk is posessed,' Meredeth explained as her man kissed her cheek on his way to the coffee maker.

'Well, hopefully he'll figure out it's just a baby by the time we have kids,' he commented; because he was turned to Meredeth, he missed the looks the other women sent each other. 'Otherwise it'll be a long nine months.'

'To be fair, Honey-Milk's the first pregnant lady he's been around. Poor thing doesn't know what's going on.' Meredeth went back to the stove, felt his touch on her shoulder as Esposito reached for a coffee mug. 'How's the arm?'

'Fine. Sleeping with the compression band helped, just like my physio guy said it would. Speaking of help, anything I can do?'

'Yeah, stay there and look pretty. You struck lucky gold with the barbecue on Friday night, so let's not chance it. I do need the table set, though.'

'That I can do.'

'Aw, what a good guy,' Lanie cooed, earning a filthy look from Esposito to which she responded with a cheeky grin as he took plates and silverware into the dining room. 'Okay, fruit's done. What next?'

'You're on pancake patrol.'

'Like from a mix or your own two little hands?'

'I used my own recipe for the dry mix. All you have to do is just measure out a cup of milk for every cup of mix, ladle and babysit.'

Lanie followed her instructions attentively; she first made a test cake for size and flavour-testing. 'Excellent call, Mere, these are awesome. And you'll have another fan of your chef-tastic skills.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, Dave's a sucker for pancakes.'

At this, Honey-Milk exchanged a glance with Meredeth, who'd pursed her lips and began to scratch the back of her neck. When she got the go-ahead node from Meredeth, Honey-Milk continued grating cheese as she tried to sound casual. 'He, ah, made you pancakes yet, Lanie?'

'Huh?'

'Javi has a theory that pancakes are how a guy thanks a woman for sleeping with him without saying 'thank you for sleeping with me',' Meredeth explained, gesturing with her bacon-flipping spatula to her friend.

'Well-'

Before Lanie could respond, Dave came into the kitchen and both Meredeth and Honey-Milk fluttered a little. Even though they were both well-established in loving, stable relationships there was no denying Dave Robbins was a fine-looking man - six-one with waving black hair around an angular Italian face, skin the colour of toasted almonds and bottle green eyes, put together with a long lean frame that was all arms and legs like an Olympic swimmer. And just like their men, he only had eyes for one woman in the room and that was the pretty ME who was overseeing pancake production for their Sunday-morning brunch. 'Hey beautiful,' he said, wrapping his arms around Lanie's waist. 'You making pancakes?'

'Yes, I am.'

'You know what they say about pancakes,' he teased her, pressing a noisy kiss to her neck. 'Beckett and I are going into town to pick up some extra batteries and things for the day. Weather guys said it's supposed to get worse, we might even lose power. Anything you need?'

'Nope, we're good.' Meredeth waited until she heard the screen door slam behind him before turning to Lanie with a goofy knowing grin. 'Well I guess that answers that question. Riddle me this, were you on Castle's boat, alone with him, when the subject of pancakes came up?'

Lanie's hand, which had been ladling out round pancakes, jerked and made a splat in the middle of the griddle. 'How do you know that?'

Meredeth took the bowl of shredded cheddar from Honey-Milk, then turned back to Lanie with a saucy glint in her eye. 'Looks like the hat-trick was made after all.'

'I told Dave you'd find out, you and Esposito were sleeping right above in the boathouse and he assured me you two were asleep, but...' Lanie trailed off her tirade as she studied Meredeth's face. 'You didn't know Dave and I were down there on Friday night, did you?'

'We do now,' Honey-Milk commented, 'and you, Miss Gossip Girl, thought you were going to get away with not telling us, when you horn in for dirty details about the rest of us?'

'Hey, is that why I found your sunblock on the stairs of the boathouse when it wasn't there before Javi and I turned in for the night? Guess it's good for more than one kind of protection,' Meredeth said innocently passing a shell-shocked Lanie a spatula for flipping, then let out a giggling snort at the absurdity of it, as did Honey-Milk. Rather than being offended by the discovery of her not-so-secret late-night date with Dave, Lanie joined in the laughing as well.

'What is so damn funny?'

'Sunblock,' Meredeth told Castle and Ryan as they wandered into the kitchen to the sight of three women laughing hysterically, 'and now that we have the rest of our big strong men awake, take this stuff out to the table.'

When they were ready to eat, they sat down at the dining room table save for Castle, who appeared with a bottle of uncorked champagne and proceeded to fill everyone's orange juice for table-side mimosas, save for Honey-Milk's. 'I don't care what they say about red wine and all that, I'm not getting a foetus drunk,' he told her.

'Agreed.'

Once all glasses were filled, Castle ever the showman picked up his spoon and tapped it against his glass. 'First of all, thank you very much for coming to my house. I know that it's difficult for people who do what all of you do to make plans and keep them like this, but I'd also like to think that a weekend like this, of friends and beach-time and barbecue, that reminds you why what you do matters so much. And I also realized this is a very celebratory weekend too. Honey-Milk and Ryan are having a baby, Esposito is healthy and well and commandeering my boat for midnight swims with Meredeth-' at this, Meredeth gave Esposito's hand a squeeze - 'Dave and Lanie are spending their first weekend vacation together. So, I'd like to raise my glass and toast. To new adventures.'

The ting-ting-ting of touched crystal sang in the room as food was passed around the table, yet the conversation did flag a mite despite the fact all plates were heaping with fruit and eggs and bacon and pancakes in various combinations.

'Pancakes are great. They yours?' Esposito asked Meredeth.

'My mix, Lanie grilled them.'

'Hey, wait a minute.' Lanie washed down her pancakes with her mimosa. She'd never be able to think of them in quite the same way again. 'You said to new adventures, what about you and Beckett?'

'Oh right.' Beckett wiped her mouth on her napkin and automatically reached for Castle's wrist. He'd set down his utensils and laid his bear-like hand over her thin, delicate one. 'We've been talking a lot lately, and we're going to try living together, starting next month.'

'Congrats, you guys! That's awesome!' Ryan lifted his glass in a toast.

'Took you long enough,' Esposito added.

As Beckett sent Castle a smile, and gave him one of her rare public kisses, the entire dining room plunged into darkness.

* * *

_R&R&Enjoy._


	37. Click: May 17 B

'Wow, it's really coming down out there!'

'I know, I can't even see the other side of the bay.'

From her spot on the cozy queen sized bed, Meredeth stared out the window of the boathouse, Esposito laying beside her, his arm around her waist to keep her close to him. They'd been in darkness in the main house for little more than two minutes before the back-up generators kicked in and gave them enough light to finish eating and tidy the kitchen. Shortly after they'd finished, Esposito had told Meredeth he was going to rest in the boathouse, and she'd gone with him. It hadn't been a euphemism for sex, though Meredeth wondered why they bothered with even those since everyone in the house knew when they were faking it so they could be alone together. Indeed, the minute they'd gotten in the door, they'd taken off their wet clothes and laid back down on the bed, just listening to the rain coming down hard outside.

'Think they'll believe us if we say we weren't up to anything funny over here?'

'Not a chance.'

Esposito laughed, then ran a hand up her back. She really did have the smoothest skin, he thought, like buttered silk and lush as ripe peaches. She hadn't tanned the day before but just added blooming colour that made him want to bite her in all kinds of unexpected places. And yet he couldn't help feeling there was something he was missing. Throughout the meal, which she hadn't dug into with her usual enthusiasm, she had barely participated in any of the talk about Ryan and Honey-Milk's baby. Even when she told the story to the others of how Arturo was prepared for an alien invasion when he'd seen the baby kick inside the belly it lacked her usual flare.

Well, he'd just have to worm it out of her. They didn't keep things bottle up; it wasn't their style, and he be damned if it they'd change that.

'You've been awfully quiet since breakfast. Something on your mind?'

Meredeth started to brush it off but the feel of his hand on her body made her reconsider keeping it to herself. 'I was thinking about what you said about us having babies.'

'Too soon for that kind of thing?' he asked her, bubbles of panic in his stomach.

'Not at all. I think about it too. Kinda hard not to be around Ryan and Honey-Milk and not ask myself, what'll it be like when it's my turn for that?'

'You don't sound too happy about it.'

'It's not unhappy.' Meredeth rolled onto her back, stared at the ceiling. 'I get scared that you wouldn't think I'm...well, that I'm pretty anymore?'

'Have you been inhaling gas fumes from Castle's boat?'

'Just hear me out.'

Esposito wanted to laugh it off, but he could hear the need to be understood in her voice. 'Okay, why in this unholy, upside-down, ass-backwards hypothetical universe would I find you unattractive?'

'I'm not a slim woman, Javi, I know that, and women gain weight when they have babies. Thinking about it, I get scared that I'd pile on pregnancy pounds and not be able to lose them.'

'Oh, baby, come here.' Esposito gathered her close. 'How long have you felt like this?'

'Only since this morning, between your comment, and then Ryan joking about Planet Jenny. Yesterday when we all went swimming, too, I was feeling more than a little insecure around Beckett in a tiny bikini. It's stupid and tragically female, but I can't help it.'

'It's not stupid if it's how you feel. And let me tell you something.' Esposito took her chin in his hands. 'When we have our own babies, if it's still something you are worried about, then we'll talk to a nutritionist or a diet specialist along with the baby doc. And let's say you did gain a few more extra baby pounds, we'd figure out a way to get through losing them. But as for the whole not being attractive thing, that would never happen.'

'Really?'

The single word, asked so sweetly and hopefully nearly undid him. 'Meredeth, you are the most gorgeous woman in the world, and if you ballooned up so you'd fit in the Macy's Day parade or you shrank down so you're the size of a finger-puppet, you will always be my Meredeth and you will always be beautiful in my eyes. Hey, come here.'

He took her face in his hands, placed his lips on hers. A kiss was an amazing thing, he mused, it could be hot and passionate, it could be part of a daily routine to show constant affection, or here, it could be used to reassure the woman of his dreams that no matter what happened, she would always be the woman of his dreams. He felt her lips yield under his and she made that little sighing sound that told him whatever was on her mind was becoming a distance memory.

'Do you remember our second date? When I went to your place for pizza and the hockey game?'

'How could I forget? My brain practically turned to Jell-O from kissing you.'

'I remember that too, but I also remember you digging into the pizza you'd made for us like you were one of the guys and it amazed me you did that. Most women I knew, they'd have spent the night poking at one slice and bitching about calorie-count this and carbohydrate that. You weren't afraid to be yourself around me, you still aren't, and that's very hot.' Esposito tugged at her shirt so she was lying beside him in her bra and shorts. 'The first time I saw this uncovered-'

'That time in the shower.'

'-That's the one, I thought you were so sexy. Such an original beauty, no cookie-cutter magazine body for you. Especially because from head to foot, you've got this amazing sweet, soft covering for it.' He ran his hands over her legs, her sides, up her breasts, around and down her back. 'Okay, seriously, how the hell do you get skin like this? My sister would kill you for your secret.'

'Lots of water, limited caffeine and organic soap,' she told him simply.

'It's like cream. Danish whipped cream, with little chocolate-chips-' he tapped her random freckles- 'and a production code-' he kissed her tattoo. 'And the fact there's all of it means one thing.'

'What's that?'

'It's easier, and a hell of a lot more fun, to do this.' Before she could scoot away from him, Esposito lowered his mouth to her belly and blew a gigantic raspberry against her skin, making her squeal and shriek in delight.

'No! No!' she yelped, which only seemed to spur him on as she wriggled like a fresh-caught trout on the bed. 'Ah! Stop it, you goon!' she managed to wheeze between laughs.

'Never!' He wrapped his arms around her and lightly tackled her to the bed as she continued to giggle and squawk.

When she'd finally stopped writhing, she realized she was pinned underneath him like there were about to make love, and he had the very same glint in his eye he'd had the night before. 'Okay, I give.'

'Good.' Esposito rolled off her, then sat up. 'You know what would be good right now?'

'What?'

'Those spiked-teas you make. I brought a bottle of the vodka for them in my suitcase.'

'If you want them, you're making them. I'm all cozy and relaxed right now.'

'Okay.' With that, he popped off the bed, wandered into the kitchen to fill the kettle. Once it was on the stove, he turned around to watch her. She'd sat up, and was hugging her knees to her chest, wrinkling her nose at him.

'I feel a little foolish.'

'You're not a fool, Mere, just human. Everyone gets insecure now and then, and it's a completely legitimate fear. Ryan said Honey-Milk spent two days in tears because she couldn't stop thinking how fat she was going to get because of the baby. Cam, too, he told me Lili thought the same thing when they first started having the baby talk before he found out he was being deployed a second time. And didn't I just get through being two weeks of a whiny little bitch because I was unmanned by my medication and didn't feel like I was good enough for you?'

'Well, as the one who listened to the whining and bitching, I can assure you, you will lose that privilege when I have your babies. After you're there holding my hand while a head the size of a grapefruit fitting through a keyhole between my legs, everything else will pale in comparison, even when I crush all the bones in your hand because I'm giving you a son or daughter.'

Esposito laughed. 'Thanks.'

'For what?'

'Just being you. In the meantime, I have a surprise for you.'

'Another one? I think you being back in fighting form last night was surprise enough.'

Esposito rummaged in his suitcase, shrugged. 'I'm not all the way there yet. That part is, but physio's gonna be hell.'

'Think of it this way: once it's through, you'll be the bad-ass hero cop who was back on the job better than ever.'

'That's true. Close your eyes.'

Meredeth obliged him, felt his lips on hers firm and sweet. 'Is that the surprise?' she asked, still keeping her eyes shut.

'No. This is.'

She felt him take her hand, puts a hard, thin package in it. A square of some kind, she noted from the shape of it. When she opened her eyes, she saw it was indeed some kind of four-cornered object wrapped in light blue paper with cartoon medical capsules forming the words 'Get Well Soon' in bright red. 'What's this for?'

'You've been so good to me, especially when I've been an ass the last few weeks, and I wanted to do something to say thanks.'

'I think you said thanks enough when we were on the boat last night.'

'Okay, then this is a 'just for being you' token.'

She smiled as she tore through the paper, then felt her heart skip a beat. In her hands was a 45 of The Crystals' single 'And Then He Kissed Me'. An original, not a greatest hits or a disc reprint, but the actual vinyl that would have been sold in music stores in sixty-three. Meredeth swallowed as love swamped her; she pressed a hand to her heart as she examined the cover.

'Oh, Javi, it's perfect! I love it! And I love you,' she added, puling him in for a hard kiss. 'But how-'

'Beckett's dad is a collector, I gave him a call and he put me in touch with his guy. And I love you too.'

'It's perfect,' she said again, not at all surprised she could feel little tears forming at the corners of her eyes. He just knew, she thought, he always somehow just knew.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	38. Click: May 25

Esposito swiped with the damp cloth at the kitchen counter top and prayed that he'd be done before Meredeth arrived home. He'd wanted everything to be perfect for her, as he had the time on his hands while he was recuperating to help more around the house rather than leaving it all to Meredeth when she was working ten and twelve hour days on her miniseries; she loved it but it was taking its toll on her and today was no exception. When she'd called on her cell to let him know she was on her way home, he'd heard the tension in her voice, figured she'd feel better after the trip home from downtown. He'd taken Arturo for a walk, picked up a bottle of wine from the small market near their house along with a small clutch of brightly coloured flowers, and had carefully selected a recipe from one of Meredeth's cookbooks for dinner he could reasonably make without giving her food poisoning. He was no chef but it seemed that chicken baked with tomato sauce and cheese, and a fresh salad to go with it was pretty hard to screw up. And who didn't love to come home to a lovingly prepared meal?

He heard the dogs tags jingle as he trotted towards the door; Arturo had become accustomed to the fact that Meredeth went away on a daily basis and came home at the same time every day now.

He was glad he'd done the extra bits of housework for her when he heard the front door slam and the sound of his sweet girlfriend arriving carried into the kitchen.

'Arturo, go away. I'm happy to see you but you will get a boot in the ass if you don't move. Move!' Meredeth's voice was sharp and brittle as broken glass, making him wonder what the hell happened to put her in such a foul mood. He knew she came home cranky from work but she never spoke to Arturo that way. With a furrowed brow, he climbed the stairs to their room and stopped at the doorway when he saw a most unexpected sight - Meredeth sprawled on her back on their bed and beating the everlasting snot out of one of his goose-down pillows.

'I take it today was a typical Monday,' he said from the door.

She looked up and when he saw her eyes, it wasn't anger there but frustration and outrage. Treating her as he would a wounded wild animal, he crossed to the foot of the bed and studied her. 'What happened, Mere?'

'I'm not ready to talk about it just yet,' she told the ceiling. Meredeth knew if she looked at her man right now, he would want to cuddle and soothe, and while she knew she'd eventually need that, in an hour or so, she still needed to vent her rage. 'I'm getting a shower.'

She popped off the bed, and would have stormed into the ensuite had he not caught her arm. 'What?' she snarled.

'I love you.'

'I love you too. Now let go.'

He did, and watched her walk into the bathroom, the door closing behind her with a sharp _click_. Instead of following her over, despite his overwhelming desire to poke at her until she spilled her guts he whistled for Arturo and headed out of the bedroom, downstairs to check on dinner. From the kitchen he heard the sound of water running in the pipes and knew she was in the shower, which gave him ample time to set the mood in the kitchen - candles, her flowers in a vase in the centre of the table, dinner made and ready to go. He didn't care if it made him the biggest suck in the world; Meredeth was unhappy and it was his job as her man, her Javi, to make her feel better.

Fifteen minutes later, after she'd turned off the water and he could hear her pacing back and forth in the bedroom, Esposito decided to venture upstairs to the lair of the Mere-Beast and see if she was in the mood yet to tell him what was going on. Sure enough, he found lying on the bed in her in her comfies, staring at the ceiling again, only this time, Arturo was sitting beside the bed getting his neck scratched instead of one of his innocent pillows being pulverized.

'Feeling better?'

'A little.' Meredeth slid her gaze so she was looking down her body at him, patted the space beside herself. 'Come here. I need a hug.'

'You got it.' In a heartbeat, Esposito was across the room and sitting on the bed beside her, his arms around her and squeezing tightly. When he felt her give a great shudder, like she was fighting off tears, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. 'What's got you so troubled, babe?'

'Stupid fuckwit prima donna asshole actors and their total lack of consideration for the people who give them work.'

'So...not the idea of me making dinner and you possibly dying from food poisoning.'

She laughed, an automatic but genuine reflex; it was her first one of the day. 'Thank you, my love. I needed that. But you are getting better.'

'Being on sick leave, I'm learning things. But that can wait. What's this about actors and biting hands and all that?'

'You know Gareth Mitchell, right?'

'Hollywood's favourite mischief maker, sure.'

'Well, he's officially become the asshole I've always said he is.' Meredeth twisted onto her side so she was facing him. It was in the eyes, she thought sweetly. He had those big brown puppy-dog eyes that could cut her in two like a walnut; how she managed to plan surprises for him and keep them surprises was beyond her. 'Everyone knows he's had a little trouble with drinking and partying and all that, and he's everyone's favourite flavour these days because he talks about the error of his ways and wants to get his career on track.'

'Sure.'

'Well, about a month ago, we got notes from the network saying they wanted him to fulfill part of his contract agreements by being in this project. Problem was there was no part for him, we'd already voice-casted the roles we needed and they wanted to give him a significant role. So they had Bonnie and Mark and myself write in a completely original character and restructure the whole second and third episodes to fit their demands.'

Esposito nodded sagely, sensing this was the ramp-up to what had gotten her so red-eyed on the way home. 'And this isn't going down so well with you and the writing team?'

'I'm not done yet. Last Wednesday, Gareth is out celebrating his new-found employment with his buddies and they meet some girls, and somehow or another, Gareth gets himself arrested for all sorts of happy shit, not the least concerning of which is statutory rape. While they're sorting out all that nonsense in California, the New York offices here decide they don't want to keep Gareth on this project and tell Bonnie and Mark and me this morning that Gareth is no longer attached to our project and the miniseries will go ahead as planned with no original additions to the story.'

The fury and indignity of it had her firing on all cylinders again, and she popped up off the mattress like she was spring-loaded. 'Two weeks of nothing but solid rewrites to work that asshole into the project and the day before he's supposed to fly out and record his part, he does this and makes my work a joke. On top of which, I've also got the new print-book coming out in less than three months and I'm leaving for three weeks to go to Japan before it does, plus there's Comic-Con before that, and Jenny's having her baby some time in July which I might not be here for if she's overdue!'

'I know, babe, it's a lot to deal with in a very short space of time.' Esposito gave her a tight hug. 'But you've been doing great so far, and that was including taking time off to be with me.'

'That wasn't optional, like, oh gee, I'm in the mood for a break with my boyfriend. You were shot on the job, you were in the hospital.'

'And if I wasn't already ass over teakettle in love with you before that, it would have cinched the deal. But my point is, you've had bumps along the way before Gareth went chasing underage tail and you got through those too.'

'I guess.' Meredeth poked at his arm lightly; she didn't always like it when he was so logical and right but she could definitely appreciate it. She kissed him, her first one since she'd gotten home. 'Sorry for being a snarly bitch.'

'Everyone's got their days.'

She looked around. 'Where are the sheets?'

'In the laundry. I've been Mister-Mom-ing it almsot all day today. Figure you'd want to come home to a nice freshly washed bed and a home-cooked meal.'

'You cooked?' Now she was wary. 'Should I have nine-one-one on stand-by?'

'Hey, I'll have you know I'm getting a lot better, I can now do soup without setting off the fire-alarm.'

'My hero.' Meredeth tried to sit up, but found herself weighted down by Esposito's arm. 'If you think I'm in the mood for feel-better sex at this moment, think again.'

'Just because I want to keep you in bed with me a little while longer doesn't mean I'm interested in banging like you like a hammer on a nail. At least not right now,' he added, then made a noise through his nose when she swatted him on the forehead. 'Oh, S&M, I like it.'

'What a funny guy.' But his joking around did make her feel better, if not about the situation with Gareth, then at least making how to handle it the next day a little easier. 'I love you. I know you already said it to me, but I felt like saying it again anyways.'

'I know the feeling, and I love you right back. Hungry?'

'Now that I'm done being pissed off, or mostly done, yeah. Did you really cook, or is this like when you order Petrelli's take-out?'

'I really cooked, and I figure if you're willing to be so unkind to my pillows when they did nothing to you, the least you can do to apologize is eat what I made.'

With that, he tugged her up into a sitting position, then followed her downstairs to the kitchen; because he was walking behind her, Meredeth couldn't see the grin on his face as she entered the room.

It smelled deliciously of roasted meat and tomato sauce. On the table was a vase of slightly wilted but nonetheless cheerful looking yellow flowers, flanked on either side by candles waiting to be lit. The silverware glinted in the overhead light as Esposito went to the stove and took two dishes warming out of the oven, put them on hot trivets. He pulled out her chair with a flourish, lit the candles.

'For the miss tonight, fresh field greens with raspberry vinaigrette, followed by chicken parmigiana, with the chicken hand-breaded by yours truly.'

'God save us.' But she was smiling when he poured her a glass of wine, brought over a basket of bread along with the salads. She recognized the taste of Salamander Bakery's signature loaf instantly, and it made her smile wider that he'd gone to his mother's bakery, or had her drop the bread off, just to make her feel better. When she lifted the lid on the hot dish from the oven, she coughed a little at the steam. Inside were four little misshapen cuts of meat, breaded and sauced and smothered with melted cheese. She selected one, cautiously cut into the middle to see the chicken was completely cooked, if a little dry. Knowing he was eagerly watching, she popped the bite on her fork into her mouth - and promptly spit it back out half-chewed.

'Oh, God, what is that!'

'Chicken parmigiana?'

'Yeah, there's something in the spices, though, what is that?'

'I don't know, I used what was in the cupboards.'

Esposito shook his head, followed her over to the space where she kept the spices. 'I followed the recipe exactly. Basil, oregano, garlic, ground nutmeg-'

He cut himself off when she held up a finger, plucked a small bottle from the shelf containing a ground brown spice. 'This bottle of nutmeg?'

'That's the only one I saw.'

She leaned her head against the door, began to laugh hysterically, so much so Esposito thought was either going to be sick or pop a vessel.

'You...you...you...' she wheezed out, 'You put apple pie spice on the chicken! Chicken parmigiana pie!'

'Dammit!' But he was joining in laughing with her at his own stupidity. 'And here I thought I was going to be all super-fly Jamie Oliver at home for you.'

'Oh, Javi.' Meredeth got ahold of herself when she saw how crestfallen he was. 'Is there any chicken left?'

'Half the packet in the fridge.'

Scooping her hair into a stubby tail at the back of her head, Meredeth got out her dark green apron, and passed him his black and white-one. 'We're going to do a take two on this.'

'You still want me to cook for you?'

'Hey.' Meredeth wrapped her arms around his waist, gave him a kiss. 'You went to a lot of trouble to do something nice for me, and I want you to get it right, so later, it's not just feel-better sex from you to me, it's also thank-you-for-dinner sex from me to you.'

Esposito just stared at her. 'Pass me the tomato sauce.'

* * *

_ R&R&Enjoy._


	39. Click: May 29

'What time is everyone getting here?'

'About eight, but Ryan said he's probably coming early.'

'And you're sure you don't mind Jenn and I hanging around?'

'Not at all, though that decision is not in my hands.'

Esposito sauntered into the kitchen from the living room, where he'd set up his portable poker table top - a birthday gift from Cam - and was pouring pretzels into a big serving bowl while Meredeth organized supplies for both cooking and baking on the kitchen counter. He'd opted to host a poker night for his friends as it was Castle's poker night with his 'Gotham City crew'; he really was like Batman some days Esposito thought.

'Ryan only said he'd come if you'd entertain Honey-Milk,' Esposito said, turning to Meredeth as he munched a pretzel. 'He's a complete basket-case these days.'

'And he's still got two months to go. Jenn says that she can barely fart, sneeze or burp without him hovering and she's ready to kick his ass.'

'Don't worry, we'll keep him occupied at the table.'

He wrapped his arms around Meredeth's waist from behind, kissed her neck. He still cramped up above his left elbow and wore his compression sleeve discreetly under all his shirts, but he was feeling more and more the effects of his physio therapy every day. It would still be another three weeks before he'd be back at work and even then he'd only be on desk patrol, but he'd be _back_ and that was what counted. Even tonight, having his friends over was another step towards moving forward; it would be the first real time he'd had any kind of guys' night at his home with Meredeth. Well, not a total guys night, as Ryan insisted that Jenny come along and hadn't taken no for answer. Thankfully, Meredeth had stepped in and said she'd do some pre-baby meal preparation so that as she hit the ten-week count-down, hopefully Ryan's stress level about his bride would decrease.

Meredeth opened the jar of peanut-butter chips, scooped a few. 'I'm more concerned about Gil than anything. He handed his wife her walking papers because she's having another man's baby, is he going to be okay with Ryan and Jenn being here?'

'I think so. I told Gil both of them would be here tonight, and he said that's cool, it's not like he's going to turn his nose up at their happiness just because Julietta turned out to be a two-faced bitch.'

'How is he doing? I haven't heard you talk much about him since he slept on our couch.'

'Took a week or two on personal leave. Bro needed some space to get his head right, moved out of his apartment with Julietta. And how's this for a kick in the ass, he ended up taking my old apartment.'

'No shit!'

'After I told him I was moving in here with you, and my place was going on the market, he jumped at it. So far he seems to like it. Even said my upstairs neighbour was hitting on him, said he had nice eyes and an even nicer ass.'

Meredeth pursed her lips, tried not to think of some tightly toned twenty-something making passes at her man. 'She ever try that with you?'

'Yeah, _he_ did all the time.' Esposito kissed her again, knowing exactly what image was going through Meredeth's brain. 'Jealous?'

'Would you be mad if I said no?'

He laughed, this time turned her around to give her a full and proper kiss; she tasted like peanut-butter. As he slid his hands down her body, cupped her ass against his palms Arturo barked twice at the window, then raced to the door, sat with his tail wagging feverishly. When Esposito opened it, prepared to haul the dog back by his collar, he got a little surprise when Arturo simply stayed dancing on the spot and snuffled at Honey-Milk's pregnant belly as she and Ryan walked through the door. Honey-Milk looked tired but blissfully irritated as Ryan helped her with her spring coat.

'Kev, I love you, but I haven't lost all motor function growing your child, you know. For God sakes, I'm going to be cooking with Meredeth tonight.'

'Yeah, and you're doing all the work making sure it's all warm and safe inside you. Let me have my little things.'

Honey-Milk rolled her eyes as Esposito hugged her; he felt the solid kick or elbow jab against his own belly through the cotton of her maternity shirt. 'Any more little things and I'm going to add them up to one big thing and beat him unconscious with it so when he wakes up, the baby will already be here.'

'She's in the kitchen already,' Esposito told her, giving Ryan a subtle poke in the chest to give Honey-Milk a ten-second head start with Arturo trotting after her like an honour guard. 'Are you gonna be a total girl tonight?'

'No.' Ryan's response was petulant but he couldn't help himself. 'Just remember this conversation when it's your turn, bro. All I'm saying.'

They went into the kitchen, saw Honey-Milk was sitting at one of the bar stools opposite Meredeth, who was unpacking the bag of plastic and glass containers. She'd donned her favoured green apron and had her supplies and utensils lined up as neatly as Lanie would her autopsy instruments.

'Hello insanely overbearing daddy to be,' she greeted him with a cheeky grin. 'Think you can multitask, hover and play cards and grunt and make manly conversation all at the same time tonight?'

Ryan squirmed a little, accepted the beer she offered him. 'Nice to see you too, Mere,' he muttered as he went into the living room with Esposito.

'Ignore him, he's being sulky.' Honey-Milk folded her hands on the counter. 'So what are we starting on?'

'Well, I know you're doing the veggie thing right now because of the baby, so I figure we can start with some spinach and mushroom lasagne, then some vegetarian chilli, followed up with my broccoli and cheese soup, and if he acts like a big boy, I'll make a batch of Ryan's precious beer-nut cookies.'

Honey-Milk giggled. 'Yeah, the last one definitely came in handy once or twice.'

'Is he really that insufferable?'

'Oh, Jesus Christ on toast, Mere.' The frustrated pregnant lady pulled her hands through her hair. 'You'd think I was made of glass! Last night, I was making grilled cheese for dinner, right, barely even toasted the bread and he says, and I quote, those black bits are carcinogenic, they're going to give our baby cancer. I love him with all my heart but the next time he rubs my belly and says he's only looking out for our child, he's getting a swift kick in the nuts.'

'Eeeee, violence! Can I do it?'

'What you can do is bribe him. Tell him the only one who gets to eat all this-' Honey-Milk gestured to their cooking stations '- is me and he will have to watch and suffer.'

'Done. How do you feel about grating cheese?'

* * *

'See twenty, and raise twenty.'

'See twenty, and raise ten.'

'Ten? At least raise a real bet!'

'Fine, twenty.'

'I call.'

Esposito laid down his hand of three fours, much to the groans of the others around the table. 'Maybe I'll take my winnings and get Honey-Milk something for the baby. Or a muzzle for you,' he said to Ryan, who glared at him from across the table.

'Mmm, what is that smell?' Beside Ryan, Ike Thornton twisted around towards the kitchen where the smell of cheese and tomatoes was thick as fog. 'Your woman cook on all your poker nights like that?'

Across the table, Gil Mazzara chewed on the end of a straw from his can of Coke. 'Nah, just on stake-outs, right Esposito?'

'I didn't hear you complaining while we were running surveillance on that club and you had a home-made enchilada in your belly, bro.' Esposito stacked his chips into neat little columns, passed the deck to Ike to be shuffled and drank his beer. 'And she usually doesn't hang around for poker nights, she's hanging with Honey-Milk so Detective Worry-Wart here can focus on the game.'

Ike shook his head, drank his rye and ginger. 'Cut him a break, man. I've been there, you haven't. I was a wreck when Carol's time was getting close to the wire, and Tim was born in the dead of winter. Imagine having a wife three weeks from delivery in mid-January, she walks to work and all those clowns out there are driving like it's the middle of a dry summer day.'

'I thought this was a poker game, not Lamaze class,' Gil said a little tersely, then sighed. 'Sorry, sorry. Ry, you know I'm happy for you, man. It's just-'

'Nah, no worries.' Ryan waved it off. 'I know I've been over the top, I just can't help it. She's my Jenny.'

Esposito chuckled. He didn't understand the whole insanity over watching his woman grow a life inside her body, but he understood what it was to love someone beyond rational reason. 'Honey-Milk is fine, she's fifteen feet away with Meredeth, and if there's an emergency, Cam's a nurse.'

'That may be, but I highly doubt there's many soldiers giving birth on the battlefield.'

'I can assure you, Ry, I've delivered my share of babies at GW General.' Cam tapped his lacquered cane on the floor for emphasis. 'And now that I'm honourably discharged from active duty, I'm considering doing a specialty in obstetrics. That way when Lili and I have one, she won't drive the doctor up the wall, just me.'

Before the next hand could be dealt, Meredeth wandered out, a plate in her hand whose scent carried the promise of hand-made pastries. 'I thought you boys might like a little sugar to go with your card game,' she said putting down a plate of still-warm cookies in the middle of the table. 'Unless you think it's too girly.'

'Depends.' Ike sniffed like a hound. 'What kind?'

'Beer-nut and brown sugar.'

'Sweet deal.' Ryan reached for one but Meredeth grabbed his wrist. 'Oh, come on! They're my favourites.'

'You can have them so long as you behave yourself for the next few minutes. Cam,' she added, dropping her voice lowly as Gil and Ryan dug into the plate, 'can I see you in the kitchen? Quietly?'

'Sure.' Taking his cane in hand, Cam walked with his uneven gait into the kitchen; his departure didn't go unnoticed by Ryan, who went on red alert.

'What, why's he going into the kitchen? Is something going on with Jenny?'

'Gil, take his cookies away,' Meredeth called over her shoulder. She didn't have to look back, only heard the squawk of protest to know Gil had nipped the biscuit from Ryan's hand. Once there, she went over to Honey-Milk, who'd gone from the bar-stool to the regular chairs; she'd begun running her hands in circles over the mound of her belly under its pretty pale-pink shirt and blowing out her breath in little puffs. Arturo was, of course, standing guard beside her, head in her lap and nose twitching at the belly.

'What's going on?'

'I started feeling kinda funny in the stomach, not like gas pains or anything. Something else, something weird.'

'How long have you been feeling them?'

'Maybe every eight minutes or so for forty minutes.'

'Have you felt them before?'

'No.'

Cam nodded briskly, pulled up a chair across from the pregnant woman. His calm, cool soldier's training took over as he gave instructions. 'Meredeth, in my bag by the stairway is my EMT kit, can you bring it in please?'

Meredeth left the kitchen, following his directions to the letter and brought the small black box that reminded her of fishing tackle. When she got back into the kitchen, she saw the entire poker game had ground to a halt as the rest of the men had crowded into the kitchen, with Ryan taking a place of honour beside his wife, concern coating his handsome face as he held her hand.

'Thanks Meredeth.' Cam flipped open the lid, pulled out a stethoscope and put it against Honey-Milk's belly as he listened intently. 'Deep breath in, Jenn. Good girl, and out. One more. And out again.'

'That's it, sweetie,' Ryan murmured, earning a lethal stare from his wife. 'Shutting up.'

'Good idea.'

'What have you had to drink today, Jenny?' Cam asked, now moving her hands out of the way and placing light pressure on different parts of her belly with his own.

'I don't know, maybe a few cups of tea, some water, why?'

'You're experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions, and one of the most common causes is dehydration. You need to get some water into you, maybe something sweetened and hot.'

'On it.' Esposito shoved his way past Ike and Gil, to his beloved cappuccino maker; a few flips of the switches and a couple minutes later was steaming milk to offer to Honey-Milk.

'Anything else I can do?' Honey-Milk blew out a breath, squeezed her husband's hand.

'I'd recommend going upstairs and lying down, on your left side.'

Meredeth nodded. 'No problem. I'll go with her, you guys can get back to your game.'

'I'll come with you,' Ryan offered, but found himself on the receiving end of yet another of his Honey-Milk's vicious looks. 'Or not.'

'Kevin, I'm sorry for snapping because I love you, but you are driving me crazy. I just want a little peace, okay? I don't need to be fussed over all the time. If you really wanted to be nice, you could clean up Meredeth's kitchen since she's made us all these nice dishes tonight, and she made your favourite cookies for your poker game. Come on, Mere.'

'Here.' Esposito passed Meredeth the mug of steamed milk - sweetened with a touch of honey, natch - handle first. 'Careful, it's really hot.'

'Thanks, babe.'

As the women headed upstairs, Esposito clapped his hand on Ryan's shoulder. 'Come on, big daddy. Let's get this kitchen tidied up, then it's back to poker.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	40. Click: June 2

'Hey, babe, are you busy tonight?'

Esposito glanced over his shoulder from the breakfast table, saw Meredeth pouring hot water into her tea thermos. She was in her usual summer wear, which meant no nasty meetings with network suits . 'I was planning on conquering level sixteen on _Insurgence: Havana Hell Cats_ and leave you to finalizing your dialogue for the novel.'

'No plans with Ryan then?'

'I invited him over to join me, but he said he wanted to spend the night with his wife. Why?'

Meredeth added sugar to her thermos, stirred it with a long spoon. 'I'm taking Jenny for a girls night after I'm off work. Dinner and the early show.'

'I just talked to Ryan last night, and he didn't say anything about it.'

'That's because he doesn't know.'

At this Esposito dropped his spoon into his cereal bowl. 'Stop the presses. Ryan hasn't pre-thunk a thought for Jenny? Did hell freeze over?'

'I emailed her last night, but only heard back from her this morning. She wants to get out of the house and not be treated like some delicate fine-china doll.'

'Can't blame her.' It had been tugging at Esposito ever since the poker game the previous Friday night. Ryan had been getting more and more overprotective as Honey-Milk's due approached. At first it had been comical but now it was beginning to sincerely concern him.

'Anyways, I know you're going to the station to talk to the ADA about the Picasso case this morning, so I figured if you see him there you could invite him out for a beer or something, maybe find out why he's acting like such a pansy.'

'Considered it done.' Esposito shoveled in the last of his cereal; found Meredeth's lips pressed against his mouth before he'd even crunched down. 'You couldn't wait until I swallowed?'

'If I did, I'd miss the train downtown. Love you babe, I'll call you when I'm on my way to meet Honey-Milk.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

Esposito tugged absently on his shirt collar as he rode up in the elevator. It had been over a month since he'd been at the precinct for everyday business; he'd only been back once and that was to talk to the captain when he'd learned he was receiving a medal for his bravery in the line of duty. Now after he'd had to talk to the formidable Adrianna Renault about that night, reliving it the way Meredeth had relived her own horrible experiences in her dreams

He'd thought about consulting Meredeth's shrink, but as he had spoken with the department counsellor on the same day he'd spoken to Montgomery about his commendation, he didn't see the need. He also knew if he needed the head-doctors at any time, Meredeth would be the first to recognize the signs and kick his ass into gear on it.

The elevator binged and with the first blast of noise, Esposito felt right at home. The air was ripe with unwashed humanity and foul curses from a large burly man in a pink dress, leather vest and handcuffs attached to the bench by Karpowski's desk, the walls were the same faded industrial colours, there was the underlying cacophony of ringing phones, clattering file drawers and shuffled papers and feet. He walked in to his desk space, saw a uniform sitting in his chair across from Ryan, discussing a detailed floor plan of some kind.

'Which means this door right here is probably the safest one to go through without giving him a chance to rabbit.

'That's provided he doesn't use the fire escapes.'

Ryan looked up, broke into a broad grin when he saw his partner in one of his usual well co-ordinated suits. He popped out of his chair and gave him a quick squeeze around the shoulders. 'Hey, bro! You back already?'

'Nah, Adrianna from the DA's office needed to see me on some other stuff about the Picasso case. Thought I'd swing by and talk to you, if you had a minute.'

'Sure. Jake, why don't you run that over to Karpowski, tell her to come find me in the break room if she needs anything.'

Esposito took the hint, went into the break room which was thankfully empty. He went to Castle's coffee maker, brewed up two espressos - a decaf for Ryan - and added steamed milk, cinnamon syrup for himself. He was waiting at the table patiently, then felt even his elastic patience dissolve when Ryan came in on his cellphone. The dulcet, almost condescending tone of his voice told Esposito exactly who he was on the phone with.

'No, sweetie, it's fine. Really, I'm not upset. Okay, just call when you're on your way, alright? Love you too.' Ryan hung up the phone, stared at it with a blissful confusion as he shut the door to the break-room. As soon as the latch was caught, he rounded on his partner like a hurricane. 'You are a dead man.'

'Me?'

'Yeah, telling your girlfriend it'd be fine to take Jenny out for a night on the town.'

'Ryan, calm your ass down, bro! It's dinner and a movie, not strippers and a pub crawl!'

Ryan prowled around the room like a caged panther; Esposito couldn't believe what he was seeing and told him so. 'Do you see yourself right now, man? You are freaking out because your wife is doing what women do - going out with a friend for some harmless fun. And since Jenny's in Meredeth's very capable hands, I'm taking out for a beer after you're off shift. I promise you won't turn into a pumpkin, you'll be back at your little nest before Mama Bird is home.'

'Fine.' Ryan checked his watch, took the coffee. 'I gotta get back, but I'll see you tonight.'

* * *

They went to O'Doule's off of Times Square, a straight-forward, no prissy fussiness Irish pub, just cold beer, fried food and conversation in varying degrees of volume. At the bar, Esposito ordered two point drafts and slid one mug over to his friend when he reached their booth.

'Talk.'

'What?'

'Talk. I wanna know what the hell is going on with you that you went from being Mister Goofy-Happy Daddy-to-Be to this. This paranoid, overbearing shadow of Ryan whose pregnant wife is comforting him instead of the other way around. Did something happen at the doctor's? Is one of them sick?'

'No nothing like that.'

'Then what?'

Ryan heaved a great sigh before drinking. 'You wouldn't understand.'

'Oh don't even try it!' Now Esposito was getting seriously pissed off with his friend. 'Kevin, I've known you for eight years-'

'And I've always been like the brother you wanted, I get that.'

'So talk to me.'

Ryan sighed again, leaned back in the booth. 'I know what I've been doing, I see myself doing and I can't stop it. It's like watching myself on television and I want to snap out of it, but I can't.'

'What's got you this rattled?'

'About a month ago, we started doing the Lamaze stuff at the hospital, with her obstetrician and all that, and the first session, they show us a few birth videos. And not just like a side view of a woman on a table with the doctor by her feet, I mean they were right in there with the camera. It was like something from a Cronenberg movie.'

'You never delivered a baby while you were on patrol?'

'Nope. Came close a couple of times, but when you're working in Violent Crimes, Narc, and Organized Crime, you don't see a lot of women with babies crowning under their leopard-print mini-dresses. Anyways, these women in the videos were grunting and yelling like they were being split in two, one even had to have something called an episiotomy, and before you ask, no, I'm not telling you what it is. You can wait to have your own for that little treat.' Ryan shuddered violently at the memory of witnessing it. 'So we're watching them and I don't know if I'm going to bolt for the men's room to yak or shit myself in terror, and Jenn's just sitting there with this look on her face like she's watching a bunch of kittens tumble over each other.'

'Women have different views on that kind of thing, man-'

'That's not what's been keeping me up at night though.' Ryan gulped down more beer to gather his courage. 'All the women in these videos had some kind of pharmaceutical intervention, a spinal block or the happy-gas or other shit. Jenny's birth-plan is one-hundred percent natural. No drugs.'

Esposito drank his beer, nodded as the picture began to come together. 'And as her coach, you're going to have to watch her be in pain.'

'It was in my god-damned vows to her, Javi. Love, honour and protect, not love, honour, and watch you scream in pain to bring our children into the world in the name of love. I just figured if I could make the pre-baby part as stress free as possible, it wouldn't seem so scary.' I

'I think you're over-looking the middle part of that phrase,' Esposito pointed out. 'You have to honour her desire for natural childbirth, man. Sounds fruity, but it's true.'

'Not to condescend but what do you know about it?'

'I know that when I saw Meredeth go through her first round of hypnotherapy it took everything I had not to interrupt the doctor's work and rip her out of that nightmare and back into reality. She was sobbing like a child and there was nothing I could do but watch her relive that hell. And you know I was really on edge about it before, man, I didn't want her to do it for the same reason you don't want to see Jenny go through natural child-birth. All being a dickhead did was make me feel worse afterward because Meredeth pulled through it like a champ, and Jenny will too.'

Ryan picked up the fork from the napkin on the table in front of him, made it walk around the edges of his glass. He hadn't meant to through the experience of Meredeth's night terrors back in Esposito's face; was he really that far gone inside his own brain he couldn't even see his friend had gone through similar, if not exactly the same, frustrations with his lady? 'Think you're some kind of smart, don't you, bro?' he said with a smirk.

'I know I am.' he was coming back, Esposito thought with a grin. 'Bottom line, man, the birth part is only one day, a couple of minutes out of a life time of being a father. And that few minutes is two months off, you've still got eight whole weeks of showing Jenny how you're gonna knock this daddy gig out of the park.'

Ryan held out his fist which Esposito bumped once, twice. His face split into a genuine grin for the first time as he looked past Esposito's shoulder. 'Speak of the very fine devils.'

Esposito glanced over his shoulder and mirrored Ryan's expression of joyfulness when he saw Honey-Milk waddle in belly-first, a small shopping bag from in her hand followed by Meredeth who was carrying both their purses. He greeted Meredeth with a warm kiss, watched as Ryan helped Jenny into the booth with a strong hand instead of his usual fussing.

'Didn't think we'd see you two tonight,' he commented as Meredeth slid into the booth beside him. 'You coming from dinner and heading to the movie or vice-versa?'

'Show was sold out, so we opted for a little shopping instead, and after I got your text I thought we might catch you two. If not, they make a great cauliflower and cheese soup here, and this one is ready to eat her own hand off.'

'What's this?' Ryan asked, poking at the bag his bride plunked on the table beside his beer glass.

With a flourish, Honey-Milk pulled two infant sized t-shirts out of the bag - the blue one said 'Little Bubba' while the pink read 'LIttle Bubbette.' 'We went past Bubba-Gump and I couldn't resist getting them.'

Ryan finished off the last of his beer. 'Store's around the corner from here, why don't we walk down and see if they have anything else there?'

Hearing the sound of her old Ryan back in his voice, Honey-Milk nodded, got to her feet with some assistance from her husband and the table. 'See you soon,' she said to Meredeth and Esposito who watched them walk out, chatting the entire way.

'I take it you're paying for the beer,' she commented, swinging around to the other side of the table. 'Sorry for interrupting your boys' night.'

'Nah, it's fine. My boy interrupted your girls' night by taking his wife shopping.'

'Guess that makes it even, huh?'

'Found out what's been bugging him for the last month, why he's been such a cupcake.'

'Oh?' Meredeth signaled the waitress for a drink for herself. 'Let me guess, doesn't want to watch her suffer through child-bearing without any dope.'

'How-'

'It's what guys do. Never mind the fact women have a higher pain tolerance than men _because _we can push a human being the size of a ten-pound bag of potatoes through an opening roughly the diameter of a Coke-can and live to tell the tale. Oh, they have Guinesss flank steak here!'

Esposito watched Meredeth, slightly horrified as she calmly perused the menu while detailing this story. 'I love you so I can say this freely. That is by far the scariest thing I've ever heard you say.' He paused a moment. 'What is an episiotomy, exactly? Ryan said they saw a child-birth video where one was performed and wouldn't tell me what it was.'

'That depends. Do you want to eat dinner and keep it down?'

'Yes.'

'Then take your friends advice.' Meredeth grinned at him. 'You can find out that one when we have our own.'

* * *

_ R&R&Enjoy._


	41. Click: June 5

Meredeth sat with her iPhone in the waiting room of Stuyvesant Memorial's physio clinic; beside her Esposito fidgeted as he read through a paper copy of Ryan's notes. She couldn't blame him for being antsy; he had one more scan today to find out if he was going to get the all-clear to go back to work on desk duty. She knew he would be just as pissy as when he got home from the hospital and couldn't do much of anything independently and that he was anticipating plenty of teasing about being soft while manning the pines since he couldn't be out in the field.

On the other hand, she knew for him to get back to work as quickly as he could was a matter of pride; he defined himself so much by the fact that he was a cop and to have that taken away from him was a partial loss of identity. As she'd pointed out to him more than once when she saw him starting to get down on himself or snipe about the lack of his usual twelve to fourteen hours a day on the job, he was only on leave because of being a super-cop in the first place and that he'd be just as super a cop when he got back to his desk in the bullpen. And if that hadn't worked, she'd bribed him with triple chocolate squishes, hot from the oven with vanilla ice cream. Okay, she'd only had to do that twice, but it was still a good bribe to tuck in the back pocket.

'Babe, relax. It'll be fine.'

'I know, I know, but...what if it's not?'

'Javi, you've been following Austin and the physiotherapist's instructions to the letter.' Meredeth set her phone aside, took his hand in hers reassuringly. 'No heavy lifting, moderate exercise of the joint, limited alcohol consumption, everything right down the line.'

'I know that too, but I can't help thinking about it.'

Meredeth said nothing. She didn't want to paper over his fears with blind cheerful confidence but neither did she want to let him think she didn't care either. 'Like you've told me so many times, if that's the case, we'll work through it. We always do.'

'That, right there, that's why I love you.' Esposito kissed her lightly, blew out a nervous breath. 'How much longer do you think we're going to be waiting?'

'Javier J. Esposito?' The nurse appeared at the entrance to the patient examination areas, clipboard in hand and calling Esposito's name.

'Guess that's us.'

Meredeth shouldered her purse, gave his arm a little supportive squeeze as they followed the nurse into a room with what appeared to be a small television screen attached to a sound-mixing board on a rolling stand. On the walls were charts with various kinds of injuries ranging from muscular tears to punctures and perforations like the kind Esposito had gone through. She took her seat in the chair as he unbutton his shirt, and for a moment forgot their surroundings as she admired the toned body of her man that looked particularly dangerous in his white work-out tank. Yowsa, was all she could think, that's all mine.

Esposito caught the look in her eyes and felt his ego purr like a tiger. Even when he'd been on the injured reserve, she still looked at him like that. It was lowering and base of him to admit it but there was a portion of him that was not only relieved but a little turned on that she would still want to jump his bones when he wasn't one hundred percent himself. Knowing that, even when there was little he could do about it in the first two weeks, helped him stay in a positive frame of mind - he now had a second motivation for getting healthy as quickly as he could.

'I know that look.'

'What look?'

'_That_ look. The one that says 'I'm going to have my way with you first chance I get.' He paused, then winked at her. 'When you think that'll be?'

Meredeth laughed, composed herself as the door opened and in walked a whip-thin Asian man in shockingly purple scrubs with yellow suns and stars scattered over them.

You must be Meredeth. I've heard so many nice things about you. I'm Yung Ji-Suk, Detective Esposito's physiotherapist,' he said in a clipped voice that told Meredeth English was his second, or possibly third, language. 'Before we start, I must say I'm a fan of your books. Cannot wait to see the miniseries, even though I know it won't be aired until next May.'

He turned back to his patient, saw Esposito had already positioned his arm on the padded slant-board. 'Why don't we work through a muscle pattern, then we'll do an ultrasound and go from there.' Ji-Suk took his place on a rolly-footed stool across from Esposito, warmed his hands and began to therapeutically massage the recovering upper-arm muscles.

Meredeth cocked her head to the side as she shook his hand. 'I thought you were seeing a female physiotherapist.'

'I did, originally, but then I transferred to Ji-Suk.' Esposito shifted on the exam table. 'I didn't like the idea of a woman touching me like that, even if it was medically related.'

'Javi, I'm not going to bust on you for your health care worker putting her hands on you.'

'Either way, it made me uncomfortable. I told her it was nothing personal, I just wasn't comfortable having a woman that wasn't you putting her hands on me in such an intimate way. She understood completely,' he added, 'said when she was a resident in medical school, her husband was a little weirded out when she told him about the different things she had to do, and didn't always like that she was seeing people's naked bits.'

'That's...sweet, I think. You know there's only one nurse in the world I'd have a problem with and she's not even allowed through the doors of this place anymore.'

'Oh you must mean Val Morales. Yeah, we heard about that one all the way down here in the clinic.' Ji-Suk shook his head as he continued to work on his client's muscles. 'She filled in when one of my nurses was down with the flu and man oh man, what a piece of work.'

'Well that's all behind us now.' Esposito gave Meredeth a comforting smile. 'Hey, tell Ji-Suk here who you met yesterday at your table read.'

'Movie dish? I'm all ears.' Ji-Suk rose from his seat, faced Meredeth with avid interest.

'Well, we decided to go with some up-and-coming talents for Josh and Tabitha, but for Officer Andrews, we went with the very awesome, oh-so-pretty Milo Ventimiglia.'

'No way, Peter Petrelli is in the miniseries? Oh I have to post my scoop on the forums! Was he really cool?

'Yeah, very laid back, a lot more sparkly than I anticipated. But then, a lot of people associate him with his role from_ Heroes_ so I suppose it's natural to think he'd be-'

'A big whining emo man-girl?' Esposito finished for her, smirking at Meredeth's lethal glare. He knew she loved the series as much as he hated it; why wouldn't he? It was nothing more than a bunch of pretty people thinking they were in some Shakespearean drama when they were really part of the X-Men. 'Sorry, babe, continue.'

'Anyways, he's a really funny guy and he absconded with the entire plate of vegan brownies I'd made for the table. Boy's got almost as big a sweet tooth as you do, Javi.'

The rest of the hour passed with Meredeth giving Ji-Suk a little insider scoop on the she knew wouldn't get her ears boxed by the producers - everything she was telling her boyfriend's physiotherapist had already been released to WENN and the other info-tainment outlets that morning. She noted, too, as the three of them chatted about her project, Esposito was far more relaxed than he'd been when they'd first come into the room. By the time Esposito had gotten the ultrasound done on his arm and was putting his shirt back on as they waited for Austin, Meredeth could tell he felt much more at ease.

'Now we wait,' he told her, hopping off the table. 'The ultrasound will say if I can go back to work or not.'

'Just keep in mind if the doctor says no, it's for your own good so you're not going back at anything less than awesome.'

As Meredeth could sense that his spirits were hanging by a thread, she opted to close her mouth and just leave her hand resting on his thigh in a subtle show of support while she used her iPhone to text back and forth with Bonnie and Mark at the studios. Her heart lept into her mouth as she felt Esposito tense under her touch when Austin walked in the door, shut it.

'Hello,' he said in his impossibly calm and even voice. 'Meredeth, it's nice to see you again under better circumstances.'

'Likewise.'

'I've had a chance to look over the notes from Ji-Suk and looking at your ultrasounds, everything appears to be healing right on schedule.'

'That's good to hear,' Esposito replied warily.

'Yes. I can tell you're eager to get back, and while I'll leave the rehabilitation schedule to the specialist, I can tell you, provide no complications arise, you'll be able to return to desk duty by June twenty-fifth and to full duty by July fourteenth.'

Esposito's breathed whooshed out audibly. He put his hand over Meredeth's, gripped it tightly. 'Why so long the wait?'

'Surgery is an invasive process. Skin and flesh is cut and the body is working overtime to reproduce those cells. You'll find too, even just being at your desk, you'll be easily fatigued.' Austin flipped through the chart. 'Just keep doing what your doing, and you'll be good to go.'

Once they were on the street, Meredeth gave him a fat whooping kiss on the lips. 'See, Javi? Nothing to worry about.'

'Thank you, too.'

'For what?'

'Just being you.' This time, Esposito kissed her, sliding a hand down to give her bottom a quick few pats. He started to make a suggestion or two about what they could do to make sure he kept his endurance up when her phone went off. He watched as she took the call, checked her watch.

'I'm sorry, babe, I know we were supposed to grab a coffee but I have to head back early. We got an extra hour of recording time booked and we really need it.'

'Go, it's okay. Dinner tonight at home?'

'Yes. But no more apple-pie flavoured chicken.'

'You got it. Love you,' he added with one last peck at her lips.

'Love you too.'

When she'd disappeared into the subway station below, Esposito whipped out his cellphone; with the sudden hour extra, he'd be able to fit in a quick stop uptown if he was lucky. 'Hi, is Francesca Mendes available? Tell her it's her favourite cousin.'

Fifteen minutes later, Esposito was waiting in a small coffee shop off of Fifty-Eighth and Fifth, stirring cream into his cup of java. It was risky, he knew, but it could also easily be explained should Meredeth hear anything from Lili. He was perusing the sports section of the Ledger when a sweet, familiar voice sounded above him.

'I only have ten minutes, so we'll cut through the crap. What do you want?''

'Nice to see you too, Frannie. How're Joe and the kids?'

Francesca's gruff demeanour mellowed in a blink. 'Getting big. Micah's almost three and Soladora's turning one next month.' She flagged down the waitress. 'Cinnamon steamer to go please,' she told her before smoothing the front of her silk suit jacket. 'Jaiv, not that I'm not thrilled to see you, but can we make it fast? I have to get back to the store. Busy time of year, you know.'

'I know. It's kinda why I called.'

'Really?' At this Francesca perked up. 'You and your lady are shopping? Why haven't I heard this from Tia Rosie?'

'Because she doesn't know. No one knows in the family and I want to keep it that way.'

'Does Meredeth know?'

'Nope, I'm shopping blind for her. I want to surprise her when she gets back from Japan in mid-August, and I've just started a little research which is why I called you. Figured I might get an inside track on what to look for.'

'Well, a good place to start is the four C's - cut, colour, clarity and of course, carat.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	42. Click: June 11

_Hello everyone! Big thanks to Ariel119 as my quasi-beta reader who always catches my little spelling bobos! BIG RED WARNING FLAG - this chapter is NSFW sans doubt ! Read, get some ice water and then review !_

* * *

Esposito knew he was in store for more than just a quick bit of lovin' from Meredeth the minute he walked through the door. As she'd wanted part of the evening to work on the last scenes of her novel before she sent it to Kristof and then on to the publisher, he'd taken Gil out for beer and pool to stay out of her hair. When he stepped through the door, though, he immediately smelled the tell-tale smell of the dish that always meant he'd get some of the good stuff upstairs in the bedroom, or on the couch in front of the fireplace, or from one memorable time, on the stairs leading upstairs to the bedroom when they'd been too eager to keep it together that long.

Dropping his keys in the dish by the coat hooks, he walked in the kitchen and was hit with the smell of...yep there it was, Heart of Chelios cake: scratch-made French vanilla spongecake divided by layers of candied strawberries and topped generously with toasted coconut and whipped cream. He didn't bother to question how she had the time to do this _and_ finish the writing she wanted to; it was Meredeth, she was some kind of multi-tasking kitchen wizard. Just like she didn't bother to question how he managed to walk Arturo and do his laundry without ruining a single shirt. Some things were just tacitly understood as bending the laws of the time-space continuum.

He leaned in so his nose was hovering less than an inch from the scrumptious looking dish and inhaled deeply, drool nearly spilling out of his mouth. As he wondered how he'd get a taste without Meredeth noticing a chunk of missing cake, he heard the dog's tags jingle by the front door and Meredeth's voice cooing at the mixed-breed as they walked into the kitchen.

'I know, I know, Daddy's home isn't he? Think he managed to keep his mitts off of Mommy's cake?'

'Just barely.'

Meredeth looked up, saw him standing by the cake with a somewhat guilty look. Instead of her usual quick grin and sweet peck on the lips, she sidled over to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in for a long wet one. Esposito could have sworn he heard his neurons sizzling away in his brain, while somewhere in the fuzzy background, Arturo gave an impatient growl at them, making Esposito chuckle.

'Someone's jealous,' Esposito commented when he broke the kiss. 'Why exactly is there a Heart of Chelios cake sitting and tempting me there on the kitchen counter?'

'Because we have reason to celebrate tonight.'

'Oh?'

'Oh yeah.' Unwrapping her arms from around his waist, Meredeth went to the cupboard to take out plates. She could hardly believe the news herself and had dropped everything to cook up a celebratory gateau. 'I'd just sat down to finalize the dialogue for the final confrontation between Tonio and Sonny Chiba at the courthouse, and Robina calls me with huge news. They've decided to add a second _Lady Hawk_ panel at Comic-Con, just for the mini-series! It's way short-notice, but it's going to be me, Kristof, Bonnie and Mark, the director, and Mila Chaka, Tory Ando, Milo Ventimiglia and Laura Harper talking about the production!'

Esposito rounded the counter and grabbed her in a tight hug. 'Oh, Mere, that's fantastic! Oh, baby, I'm so proud of you.'

'So needless to say, after I got done shrieking and hyper-ventilating with Robina, I went over to Mendelssohn's and got supplies for this very delicious cake. And I was thinking we could eat it along with _Crank High Voltage_, since it is where I got the idea for it in the first place.'

'Done and done.'

As Meredeth sliced the delectable treat, Esposito set up the DVD player with the low-rent Jason Statham flick, the elation he'd felt at finding the cake only growing. If he knew what followed this pattern next, they would be forced to watch the ending of the film a different time and Arturo would be scurrying under the kitchen table. They ate and watched, and Esposito knew they were right on target when Meredeth dipped her finger into the whipped cream on her plate and flicked it over his jaw, then proceeded to lick it off in one very slow, hot move. He responded in kind by dabbing strawberry syrup on her neck and laying his lips there so he could feel her pulse pick up pace when he nibbled at her.

They'd only made it through the first thirty-seven minutes, long enough to see a trashy Bai-Ling get into a smack-down with a half-naked Amy Smart before Meredeth had all but crawled into his lap and fused herself to his mouth. She tasted like strawberries and cream and heaven, and knew in about two minutes, his pants would probably be tossed over her shoulder to land heroically on the corner of the flat-screen TV. But just as he was moving his hands away from her waist to his belt-buckle, she suddenly stopped.

'Come on,' she purred, 'I have something even better in mind for tonight.'

'Better than Heart of Chelios cake?'

'Way better. There's one condition. You have to keep an open mind.'

The way she looked at him as she stood up and held out her hand to lead him up to their bedroom, Esposito would have committed murder for her and gleeful called every last one of his cop friends to help him hide the body. He twined his fingers through hers and curiosity as much as libido propelled him up the stairs.

Once in their room, with the door shut so a curious Arturo couldn't wander in as he'd done on the night of their eight-month anniversary, Esposito wasted no time in stripping down and sprawling himself on his back on the bed. Normally undressing each other was part of the foreplay they indulged in, but something told him this wasn't going to be a time for long languid kisses and murmured devotions of undying love. This was party-time.

Esposito lay naked on his back on his bed, uncertain of just what his woman had up her sleeve. Her metaphorical sleeve, of course, because she was as undressed as him. In her hand he could see three silk scarves.

'Do you trust me, Javi?' She picked up his arm by the wrist, wound one scarf around it, gave the same treatment to the other one.

'Of course.'

'Good.' From inside the third scarf she pulled a pair of handcuffs he wasn't sure were just toys. Before he could react, she'd snapped them on, effectively chaining him to the headboard. 'Because then this wouldn't be fun.'

He swallowed deeply as she used the third scarf to blindfold him; when he started to panic at the idea of being blind and bound, she whispered in his ear, 'Relax.'

Since he'd lost his sense of sight, and one of his favourite things when they had sex was to look at Meredeth,he didn't see how that was possible. He began to think a little differently when he sensed something near his nose and he caught its smell. He knew that smell. 'Is that coconut oil?'

'Good boy.' She drew the jar away, then dipping her finger tips in, Meredeth began to work the fragrant oil into his skin. She kept her touch firm but gentle, not meant to be provocative in any way, which she knew would get him stirred up all the more. The way his chest was rising and falling, couple with the evidence between his legs, she figured she was headed in the right direction.

Esposito licked his now-dry lips as he felt his body respond to her touch. He hadn't known he'd be into this kind of thing, nor had he expected to find the tender attention so arousing. He felt her near him, her hair brush his cheek as she laid her lips on his and drew away the blindfold.

'This part,' she murmured against his mouth, 'I want you to be able to see.'

With that, she moved down his body, trailing her lips over his skin until she was certain he was going to go out of his mind, before she hit the jackpot and began to touch light, butterfly-wing light kisses, then slow, sticky, lingering ones against where he was both hardest and most sensitive.

Esposito let his head fall back with a thump against the pillows. He loved it when she went down on him, but the most torturous part of it was that he loved to run his finger through her hair when she did, and being handcuffed to the headboard didn't exactly permit that. It only mattered for a few fleeting microseconds, as his brain dissolved into a fizzing mess; the time he'd spent with the silk covering his eyes had heightened his senses and now he felt everything - every bump and ridge on her tongue, every groove of her lips against him, and good God did she know how to use them.

'Meredeth.' It was part plea, part encouragement. She was driving him up the wall and down the other side; as he looked down his body, he saw she'd lifted her eyes to him and was giving him the 'come hither' look that never failed to get him hot. 'Don't stop, baby. Don't stop.'

'This?' She kissed her way up the solid length of him before she took him into her mouth; satisfaction was like fine wine as she heard him choke out an oath, his hips arching off the bed and inadvertently driving him in deeper.

It wasn't earthly, the way she could make him feel like this, like the apocalypse would arrive if she stopped. He knew from previous experience with this particular act that she wasn't a spitter, which somehow made it even hotter. He wanted to touch her so badly, to hold her against him while his hips pistoned him to the brink and then over it. When his nerves began to fray, she stopped and nearly made him lose his mind. 'Mere? Why'd you stop?'

'I want you inside me when you come.'

Said so simply in her throaty sex-bomb voice, Esposito couldn't imagine a better aphrodisiac. He closed his eyes, heard that impossibly sexy 'oh' she made as she clenched around him, a tight, intoxicating vise.

'Do you know you do that?'

'What?'

'Make that little sound,' he told her, imitating it as best he could; as he'd kept his eyes shut, he could only feel her watching him as he added, 'Every time I enter you, you moan like that and it's so fucking sexy.' He opened his eyes, saw the heat in her face as she dragged her hands down his stomach, left them pressed there as she began to rock her hips back and forth on him.

She'd never done this before, Meredeth thought absently, never imagine she could have this kind of intensely erotic experience, and yet here she was with her hot, hot- blooded man handcuffed to the headboard and naked underneath her. Each one brought her closer and closer to the point of ecstasy, and despite all the demands and pleas in her mind, the only sound she let pass her lips was the little 'oh' that he'd told her was so fucking sexy. As she orgasmed, it came out of her in a low keen of unadulterated pleasure; as the tide ebbed, then crested again, she felt it rocket through her. Riding high, she dragged him into oblivion with her.

She collapsed on his heaving chest as she blinked, just to make sure she hadn't gone blind from her own lust. When she felt him wriggle a little underneath her, she wordlessly reached over to the bedside table and found the little silver key; seconds later the cuffs were popped free and his arms were tightly around her.

'Holy Christ, Mere,' he murmured. 'I think Valentine's just got shoved out of the top five.'

'Agreed.'

'But why the handcuffs?'

'Honestly?' When she felt him nod, she turned her head to look at him. 'Last October when I saw you in your Kevlar and poking that asshole Raines in the chest with your SWAT rifle, after I got done being scared, I just wanted to jump on you. Since I figured gun-play and sex don't mix, handcuffs would be the next best thing. And,' she added, walking two fingers up his chest, 'I get to cross number two off my top five sex fantasies with you list.'

'Oh really?'

'Mhmm. Especially considering they were your cuffs.'

'My...' Esposito trailed off as she got the devilish gleam in her eye when she'd pulled a fast one on him. 'You mean those cuffs are the ones I take with me to work everyday?'

'Yes.'

'And you chained me to our bed with them.'

'Ja.'

'And then you blindfolded me, rubbed me down in coconut oil, gave me a blowjob, then banged my brains out.'

'Oui, si, sim and da.'

Esposito could only smile at her, tug on her hair. 'Just out of curiosity, what is number one on your list? I want to make sure my affairs are in order in case I croak in bed with you.'

'Who said it would be in bed?' When he groaned, Meredeth laughed and pressed a kiss to his chest before getting out of bed and finding her kimono. 'You ready for round two?'

'I ain't no stallion, babe.'

'I happen to think otherwise, but that's not what I meant. I'm kinda hungry again and I could use another piece of cake.'

'On one condition.' Esposito sat up, drew his knees towards his chest and rested his elbows there as he watched his girlfriend tie the belt of her robe. 'You are my plate.'

'Well in that case, we'll skip the ice cream.'

Esposito stared at her a moment, then got out of bed to put on his fuzzy green bathrobe. 'Never, ever skip the ice cream. We can finish watching the movie too.'

When they went into the kitchen, the house line rang and Esposito picked up. 'Hello.'

'Hey, thought I'd catch you at home.'

'Castle, what's up?'

'Just working on a case with Beckett, thought you might wanna take a look at the ballistics report and give us a hand, since that seems to be kinda your thing.'

'Can it wait until tomorrow morning?' Esposito watched Meredeth slice the cake and lick whipped cream off her thumb. She hadn't done it to get him all stirred up, but the way her eyes sank closed as she moaned over the taste told him his night with his lady was barely started. 'I'm a little tied up tonight.'

* * *

_ R&R&Enjoy._


	43. Click: June 17

_So this chapter might get a little confusing because it contains a scene with both Castle's ex Meredith and Esposito's lovely Meredeth. For the sake of clarity, Castle's ex will be called 'Meredith C'._

* * *

'What about a movie?'

'Nah, she's got tonnes of those. Oh what about one of those table-top popcorn trolleys? That's a gadget I know she wants and her father hasn't procured yet.'

'She's moving to England, babe. Can't really take that on a plane with her, can she?'

'But she doesn't go until after Christmas. That's...a lot of weeks of popcorn eating.'

Meredeth giggled at his adolescent reasoning, tapped a few keys on her laptop. 'It's kinda tempting to get her a Cambridge pullover and just wrap up a picture of it so she'll have it right before she leaves, but that'll probably be the first thing she buys and treasures for the rest of her life.'

From his spot on the living room floor, Esposito looked up from the case notes of Ryan's he was pouring through. Meredeth was looking particularly collegial herself this stormy afternoon; she had braids in her hair and her grey Columbia zip hoodie on to guard against the miserable thunderstorm raging outside. 'I still can't believe Little Castle is going to be going to university. There'll be no living with Castle on the job, and I pity Beckett to have to go home to him.'

'Do you think that's the reason he asked Beckett to move in with him? So he wouldn't be alone?'

'Uh-uh. It's something that's been in the works since New Years. He asked her back then and she turned him down, saying they needed more time to figure themselves out as a couple before Beckett moved in. It wasn't like you and me. You didn't have an eighteen year old, just a four year old Great Dane-boxer mix who whizzed on my leather shoes when I first moved in.'

'Hey, Artie said he was sorry for that, its why he asked me to make you peanut butter ice cream pie that night.'

Esposito shook his head, then tossed down his pen and looked at her screen, squinted. 'Why are we looking at the online store for Passport Panties? You planning on buying something for Alexis and her boyfriend?'

'I'm multitasking. Buying some thing for our trip to San Francisco in July.' Meredeth chewed her lower lip as she minimized the screen and went back to shopping for a graduation gift for Alexis. 'Are you sure it's cool for you to go on vacation like that when you'll only be like two weeks back on desk duty?'

'Yeah. I talked to the captain about it, and he was very encouraging to go, as he pointed out that with you gone to San Diego and then to Japan, I'll have plenty of time for racking up overtime hours.' It was a partial truth, but one he knew would serve him well in the long run. He traced his fingers up and down Meredeth's arm. 'What time is it?'

'Just after two.'

'Plenty of time for shopping,' he commented, kissing her neck suggestively. 'Party's not until eight tonight, and even then we're meeting at Serendipity. We can always blame traffic.'

'I don't want to be late, though, it's Alexis' night and it's very important to her. Besides she's anxious enough about going and I don't blame her. International study is very scary.'

'You never did an exchange.'

Meredeth poked him in the stomach as he rested his chin on her shoulder. 'I've also never been shot but I know that's got to be pretty scary.'

'No kidding. Well, what's she studying?'

'You haven't heard this from Castle?'

'Nope. Guy's been absolute basket case with the whole baby-birdie leaving the nest, hasn't mentioned what she's going to be actually doing over there.'

'Psychiatry. She wants to be a forensic shrink.' Meredeth smiled at him, wrapped her arm around his waist. 'Looks like you guys made a bigger impression than you thought.'

'Well in that case.' Esposito snapped the laptop shut and put it on the coffee table before she could protest; with a slight twist of his body, he had his woman pinned underneath him on the couch, her long legs tangling with his as began to kiss her in such a way that Meredeth was surprised her skin didn't blister. 'I know exactly what to get her and from where. It's even on the way so we have lots and lots of time.'

* * *

'See I told you.'

'Yes, Javi, you've been reminding me since we left Page and Turner.'

'It's nice to know I can occasionally win an argument with you.'

Meredeth shook her head as they walked down the street, gift bag in hand, towards Serendipity. She didn't bother to let him know it didn't irk her in the slightest that he'd known to go to the specialty bookstore to get Alexis' present; she knew her role in this particular play very well and gave an Emmy-worthy performance in it. 'Pop quiz hot shot, what's the best James Bond movie ever made?'

'Golden Eye, no question.'

'And we're back to our same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel. Everyone knows it's The Man With the Golden Gun.'

'The one with the racist redneck sheriff? I thought you had good taste in films.'

'It has Christopher Lee, and Count Dooku-Jabberwocky-Saruman-Dracula-Lord Summerisle beats a good ol' boy any day of the week and twice on Sunday.'

Esposito considered this very valid point. 'Okay, best of the seventies?'

'Agreed. Here we are.'

They went into the restaurant and were escorted to the private dining room; they saw Alexis wearing a tacky but sparkly tiara and round Harry-Potter type glasses as she sipped at something pink and icy. Flanking either side of her was Castle and a red-headed woman she didn't recognize, while on the other side of the table was Ryan and Honey-Milk, who looked as puffy as a souffle while she kept her hands folded on the mountain of her baby-bump. As they drew closer, they could hear the practiced enunciation of the redhead's voice.

'Oh, Lex, really, it'll be great! I can come and visit you when I'm on location in London!' she trilled. 'Just think, we can go shopping in Knightsbridge, see plays at the Old Vic together, tea at the Savoy. You'll be the glamorous envy of all your friends.'

'Detective Esposito, you made it!' Alexis had popped up from her chair and made a beeline for him and Meredeth, hugged them tightly. 'Save me,' she whispered, 'it's the Deep-Fried Twinkie!'

'The what?'

'Lex's mother,' Esposito explained, then paused. 'This might get confusing. Her name's Meredeth too, albeit with an I-T-H instead of E-T-H.'

'Just play along.' Alexis turned around, gestured to the new arrivals. 'Mom, you remember Detective Esposito, and this is his girlfriend Meredeth Coleman.'

'Oh of course, I read all about it on your Twitter feed, Meredeth!' The redhead rose from her chair, offered a perfectly manicured hand. 'And I must say, your outfit on Craig Ferguson last fall was an excellent choice. Very slimming, I must say.'

Esposito sensed his own Meredeth tense, brace for battle. 'Easy killer,' he murmured in her ear as they sat beside Ryan and Honey-Milk. 'Look at you, mama, getting so big.'

'I know. We had a checkup yesterday morning and the doctor said the baby's already starting to assume the position. She doesn't think I'll make it to the end of July.'

'I was just telling Honey-Milk about some of the programs I used to get back into shape after having my sweet little girl.' Meredith C sent Alexis a loving look. 'No reason to let your figure go just because you experienced the miracle of childbirth.'

Meredeth looked at Castle, whose jaw had gone so tense she could see the muscle twitching. 'Meredith, didn't you say you need to meet your agent for drinks uptown at nine?'

'Oh yes, but I just couldn't resist meeting the famous Lady Hawk scribe. How is the production coming along?'

'Excellent. We've set our voice cast and we've been in recording sessions for almost two weeks now. It's really coming together.'

Meredith C smiled, her nose crinkling with the slightest hint of a sneer. 'Well, I'll certainly have to watch for it. Richard, Lexie, I'll see you two and the detective in L.A. in two weeks! I'm off!'

The collective sigh of relief breathed at the table could have powered a brigantine from Maine to Nassau. 'Ding-dong,' Castle began, then cut himself off when he remembered Alexis was at the table. 'Lexie, pumpkin, muffin, crouton, apple sauced pork-chop-'

'No worries Dad, I get it. The whole point of having this little party early was so she could be included before we see her at her big Hollywood premiere. We both know we'd never hear the end of it if we didn't. At least her gift was kind of nice.'

'Kind of nice? You don't give your only child a glamour photo of yourself for her high school graduation, sterling Tiffany frame or otherwise. Ryan and Honey-Milk got you that nice loose-leaf journal with your name engraved on it, that's a hell of a lot more meaningful.'

'But she did have a point Dad, I mean I will have a nice picture of her to keep in my dorm now.'

'Then maybe you should open this one.' Meredeth nudged the bag across the table towards the lovely teenager, as the waiter came to take their orders. 'This was mostly Javi's idea, so he gets the credit though I must go on record for the card and the wrappings.'

Alexis' smile was genuine and appreciative when she pulled out the three hardcover books. 'Diagnosis of Abnormal Behaviour, Creating the Criminal Profile and Found in Translation: Oral Presentation of Psychological Findings to the Untrained Listener. These are amazing! And the first two are on my reading list.'

'Someone's been getting a jump on their syllabus research.'

The comment came from Beckett, who had just arrived at the table, immediately filling the spot that Meredith C had moments before vacated. Even in the reaction to her father's girlfriend's arrival, Meredeth could see there was far more respect here than for her biological mother - Meredith C had warranted the requisite hug and kiss on the cheek. Beckett, on the other hand, got the delighted squealing squeeze women only saved for those closest to them. 'Lanie and Dave send their love and congrats. They both had the six-to-six shifts tonight,' Beckett added. 'Have you given her our gift yet?'

'Nope, she just got done with Meredeth and Esposito's.'

'Good. I didn't want to miss it.'

From his breast pocket, Castle pulled a small black velvet jeweler's box. 'I know this is something you've wanted for a long time.'

'What is it?' When her father merely shrugged, she lifted the lid. Her wide blue eyes all but bugged out of her head. 'Daddy, are you serious!'

'As a heart attack.'

Esposito, who'd just finished placing his order, turned back to the table, saw Alexis throwing a hammer-lock on her father in pure glee. 'You buy her a car?'

'Better!' Alexis turned the box around to show him a single Japanese yen coin nestle in the ring slot. 'It's my trip to Japan! I've always wanted to go, ever since I was a little girl and saw Princess Mononoke and he always said not until you're eighteen.'

'I still have yet to arrange the flights and all that, but the hotel has booked for you in Sapporo for July twenty-seventh until the sixteenth of August.'

As Meredeth watched the young woman rejoice about fulfilling a life long dream, a thought occurred to her. 'Why doesn't she fly out with me?'

'What?'

'I'm going to be in San Diego for Comic-Con from the eighteenth to the twenty-second, Javi's spending the weekend with me in San Diego. You could fly out to California with him, then we can leave from there to Japan together. I'll be staying at Keio Plaza, it's got more than enough room for you to stay a night or two with me.'

'That sounds like a great idea,' Beckett said enthusiastically as she took Castle's hand; she wasn't surprised to find it slightly shaky.

'Excellent. I'll give Robina a call, give her something to do besides drink away her divorce.'

'And I'm going to call Sloan! Yea! Thank you Daddy!' Alexis gave her father one last tight embrace before bouncing off in the same direction as Meredeth.

At the table, Esposito sipped his coffee. He didn't realize he was as anxious about Meredeth's upcoming trip as he thought he was until she'd made the suggestion; after all, his Danish angel was going to be away for three whole weeks. Of course, he knew those three weeks would zip by very fast; he was going to have more than enough to occupy his time before she got back.

Across the table, Honey-Milk took hold of her husband's hand. 'Who do you think will be missing his girl more? Castle or Esposito?' she asked as she poured tea from the pot just brought by the waiter.

'Gotta put my money on my boy.'

'They're both your boys,' Honey-Milk pointed out, rubbing the spot on her belly where the baby had given her a sharp elbow jab. 'Be more specific.'

'Esposito.'

'Really?'

Ryan put his hand on the side of his wife's stomach, felt their child moving inside her. He'd borrowed Esposito's laptop when he'd gone over to his partner's place to play Madden 2011 on X-Box, and had accidentally seen the email from a woman named Francesca forwarding him information on a certain type of ring. 'Call it a hunch.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	44. Click: June 25

Esposito lifted his head off the pillow, stared at the clock. Five-twenty-two - still another eight minutes before the alarm would go off. Not that he'd have needed it, of course he'd barely managed to stay asleep for longer than forty minutes.

It was June twenty-fifth. Ji-Suk had given him the green light. He was going back to work.

Rather than stare at the ceiling for what felt like the millionth time that night, he turned back to his side nose to nose with his beloved. Meredeth was out cold, breath whistling in and out of her nose like a teakettle and for a moment he just watched her sleep. It was beautiful to watch her sleep now, where she wasn't trapped in the nightmare she'd gone to bed with nearly every night for twenty years dogging her busy brain. She no longer looked vulnerable, though she still slept the same way - one hand fisted by her cheek, the other flat on the pillow - but Esposito suspected that was more habit than unconscious preparation for battle.

Kissing her cheek, he slid out of bed, scratching the back of his neck as he made his way to the ensuite. He no longer worried about the running water waking her; after she'd finished her sessions with Werner at the end of February, after three months of twice-a-week appointments and only two night terrors the entire time, it would take all the nuclear warheads of the world detonated simultaneously to wake her up. He cleansed away the grease of sleep, reveling in the simple actions that his injury had restricted him from performing; even the irritation of shaving in the steamy shower wasn't such a pain.

When he left the ensuite, he blinked in shock as he saw that Meredeth wasn't in bed, nor was Artie waiting for him at the door whining to go outside. But he did see three of his suits neatly lain across the foot of the bed with their matching shirts and coordinating ties - one stark black with the grey tie-and-shirt combo, one dark blue with the pin-prick dots of pale blue matching the shirt, and the other in army drab olive with the green and silver stripes. He opted for the dark blue, dressed but for the tie and hung the others back in the closet.

He went downstairs to scare up coffee and found Meredeth, still half asleep standing at the waffle iron as she stirred a cup of her favoured red tea. Under the table, Arturo was dutifully gnawing on one of his bones and thumped his tail when he saw Esposito enter the room. He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist.

'Morning, Detective,' she mumbled as she felt his lips on the curve of her neck.

'Morning, writer. You didn't have to do this for me.'

'It's an important day. You're going back to work for the first time since you were shot. I'm not letting you out of the house with just coffee and cold cereal in your belly.'

Merederth yawned, then turned around. 'I have no idea how to work that monster of a cappuccino maker so you're on your own on that front.' She yawned grandly, as she held out her hand for his tie while he set to brewing espresso. 'Nervous?'

'A little. I know I've been kept in the loop on what's been going on and my open cases got shuffled around because Ryan and I were both out sick, though I was out a little longer. He only had a broken arm and fingers, I was recovering from surgery.'

'Looks like seeing the department shrink in between pumping iron and canoodling with me on the couch paid off.'

'Looks like.' He looped his tied tie over his head, adjusted the silk under his shirt collar and sniffed. 'Chocolate chip?'

'Cinnamon-sugar. Grab a plate, they're ready.'

They ate, Esposito uncharacteristically chipper for so early in the morning; Meredeth knew it was his way of battling nerves and yet somehow he managed to wolf down three waffles without breaking striding in their conversation. As she tidied the kitchen and he went back upstairs for his bag and his jacket - why he still wore a jacket when the meteorologists were predicting the temperature would be a sweltering mid-eighties by noon - she felt only a small twinge come over her. She couldn't help but feel the little bit of anxiety she knew most people involved with cops would feel after their man or woman had been seriously injured in the line of duty. Of course, she knew that the odds of it happening again were astronomical; he wouldn't even be riding with Ryan to canvass for witnesses. He'd be running financial data, background checks, going head to head with the lab techs and the IT guys.

When he came back down stairs, she'd tightened the belt on her kimono and held her hands behind her back as he poured steamed milk and coffee into the traveling mug she'd gotten him to go with his cappuccino maker. 'I got you a little something for your first day back.'

'Even better than waffles and the non-apple pie parmigiana sandwich in my lunch-bag?'

'Nothing beats waffles.' She held out the little bag. 'Just something silly I thought you'd like to have on your desk.'

Esposito dipped his hand into the bag and came up with a simple Batman action figure. He gave her a questioning look. 'In case Ryan doesn't share his baseball cards at recess?'

'I know he's your favourite superhero-'

'He had gadgets, and he has Alfred watching his back.'

'-and I know it's going to make your frustrated not being able to go on the streets and all that for a few more weeks, so I thought you if you had your superhero to look at on the desk, you can remember you're my superhero and you'll be back to kicking ass in no time.'

Esposito held the tiny bit of molded plastic, now more precious to him than gold, in his hand as he cupped his other one at the back of Meredeth's neck to draw her in for a tender kiss. 'Thank you, my love.'

'Anytime, my love.' She followed him to the door. 'You going out after shift with the guys?'

'Tomorrow. Ryan's taking Jenny out for a fancy dinner and Castle's got family movie night with all his women.' He hooked his badge to his belt, along with his weapon holster and his cellphone. 'Alright, gimme one for good luck.'

She gave him a kiss that made Arturo growl, then watched as he went out the door, flashing her that cocky 'I got this one covered, babe' grin. When the door clicked shut behind him, Meredeth sat on the lowest stair and because Arturo had come over to investigate why his mistress was parked there, she wrapped her arms around his sturdy neck and wept a little.

* * *

'Hey, look who dropped in for a visit!'

The friendly greeting came from Castle, who was sitting in his usual spot by Beckett's desk as Esposito walked off the elevator into the Homicide bullpen. Ryan was there too, his cast gone and the edge of a tensor bandage visible at his shirt cuff. Both greeted him with manly bearhugs and knuckle bumps, even Captain Montgomery greeted him with a warm handshake.

'Good to have you back, Detective,' he said. 'Ryan was getting a little lonely here.'

'No, I...really,' the handsome Irishman protested with a little colour in his cheeks; Esposito slapped him on the back.

'Probably because he knows he's going home to the mama bear when he's off-shift.'

At this Ryan dragged a hand over his face. 'I'm already starting to lose sleep. Couple of nights I've been on the couch just so she'll have more space.'

'Not long, is it, Detective?' Montgomery asked with the knowing smiling of someone who'd been through this before.

'At last check up, the doctor said we should be prepared by the week of July fourteenth.'

Before Esposito could make any comment, Beckett strolled up with a file three inches thick and plopped it on Esposito's desk. 'Welcome back. Here's my gift to you. Renata Socorro, age thirty eight, found dead in an abandon building in Alphabet City. Grifter and scam artist, in and out of the system all her life, looks like someone finally paid her back. We need to go through all her previous arrests and figure out if any of these people had any recent contact or connection with her. Also, I need you to go over her financial records, she had at least five accounts under four different names. Ryan, Castle, you're with me, we're heading back to the scene.'

'Ain't it great to be back?' Ryan gave him an understanding smirk as he took off after Beckett and Castle.

Esposito pursed his lips; he knew this was what he would be coming back to. Fishing into his jacket pocket, he took out the little Batman toy and put it on his desk beside his picture of Meredeth and himself. He looked at it for a few seconds, then with a chuckled, flipped open the file on his desk courtesy of Beckett.

'Renata Socorro, born August five nineteen seventy-one,' he began as he booted up his computer.

Several hours later, his ass was numb, his head was pounding and he'd already chowed through the spiced-pumpkin turnovers Meredeth had made for his lunch before touching anything else. And he loved every second of it. He'd just returned from the breakroom for a refill on his coffee after briefing Beckett on what he'd found so far when his cell peeped 'Good Vibrations'.

'Hey babe,' he said when he answered.

'Hello Detective. How's it going so far?'

'Just like old times.' Esposito made a notation on a file as his computer continued to compile data. 'How's everything way downtown?'

'Super-busy. One of our actors, his flight was delayed from Chicago, so we're in a holding pattern until he gets here because he's the only person on the slate today because today was the only day he was available.'

At that moment, Ryan walked over to the desk, held out a piece of paper that read 'Meredeth?' Esposito nodded, saw Ryan scribble another note and read it with a laugh. 'Ryan wants to know if you can make some more cookies for him, as he's eaten them all.'

'Already?'

'Apparently.' Esposito balled up the note and tossed it in Ryan's direction. 'I told you, he's worse than Arturo, you feed him once and he'll be begging for snacks twenty-four seven.'

'Speaking of which, can you grab some of Arturo's kibble from the vet on the way home?'

'The vet's up on Forty Seventh, though.'

'Yeah, and I'm closer to Battery Park than Forty-Seventh right now.'

Esposito rolled his eyes, then made the note. 'Alright, can't have him starving, can we? God forbid he should weigh less than ninety-five pounds.'

'Thanks a million babe. I have to run, I think Mister Spinto is here. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

He hung up the phone, and had no sooner done so than it rang again and he picked up. 'Esposito...hey, Frannie...yes I got the email...yeah, I saw a couple that might work...I can't really talk, it's my first day back...four-thirty...yeah, I'll meet you there...bye.'

This time when he hung up and went back to his computer, Esposito could feel Ryan's eyes on his neck. Finally, he couldn't take anymore; he picked up the toy Batman and turned to face his partner. 'Yes, she's going to make your cookies, you big mooch,' he told his friend, 'now go away.'

'Who's Frannie and why are you making plans with her when Meredeth's expecting you home?'

'Frannie's my cousin Francesca . You met her, she was the girl we talked to when we needed the customer list after the Tiffany's keys popped at the Carlson homicide back in March. Anyways, she's helping me with a little gift for Meredeth.'

Ryan pursed his lips. 'What kind of gift?'

'The private kind. Now go away.'

* * *

Esposito arrived home around five-thirty, and was greeted by his four-legged friend not with the expected eagerness but with a haughty sniff and a cold shoulder. After depositing the super-sized bag of dog food in the laundry room underneath the stairs, he went into the kitchen and saw Meredeth wrist deep in some kind of sticky dough. She couldn't have been home very long, as she was in her tiny shorts and tank-top, but her hair was still pinned back in the style she usually wore to the office. He greeted her with a warm kiss and a tight embrace around the shoulders.

'You look delicious and smell,' he gave her a deep sniff, 'like sweat and flour. What have you been up to?'

'Don't know if you noticed or not but it's eighty-three degree outside and I've got the oven on.'

'Why?'

'Fish and sweet potatoes and raisin biscuits. All your comfort food favourites.' Meredeth finished kneading the dough, jutted her chin towards a glass jar. 'Pass me the flour?'

He did so, watched as she dusted her hands, then rolled the dough into little balls onto a greased baking sheet. 'I always love watching work with dough.'

'Oh?'

'Makes makes wonder what else you can use those hands of yours on.'

Meredeth laughed as he snagged a handful of raisins. 'Welcome back, Detective.'

* * *

_ R&R&Enjoy._


	45. Click: July 1

_So this is a very Esposito centric installment, but once you read the first two or three paragraphs, you'll understand why. And before you ask, the answer is no: the big Q doesn't happen in this fic. Also, don't know if it's really come across or been mentioned, but Lily's full name is Lourdes Lucita Maria, Lily is simply a short-form_.

* * *

It was going to be an action packed day, no question. There was so much to do before he went home to pack with Meredeth for their trip out to Los Angeles and San Francisco - she'd been invited to do _The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson_ again, on the Monday of their trip - but there were several crucial things to take care of before he went back to his regular work hours when he got back from vacation. There was no way in hell he'd line up these dominoes without arousing a few suspicions; even now it was a dicey affair to handle but he'd pull it off all while keeping it under his hat. He'd told Meredeth he'd be working until about five-thirty and he felt only marginally bad about the little white lie - he was off work at four but he knew by the time he got done doing what he needed to do, he'd be arriving home like he really was finished an hour and a half later.

The first step was the trickiest move to pull off but somehow, Esposito managed to do it. Somehow, he'd managed to get all the way up to East Fifty-Ninth and Fifth Avenue without anyone giving him the fish-eye. He had only a limited window of opportunity, so he only had time to make it strictly business.

He went through the doors of the building and out of habit nearly badged the security guard in a well-tailored Italian suit but checked himself when he saw his cousin in her equally well-tailored suit at a counter with a young couple, in the middle of a consultation, so Esposito hung back, hands in his pockets.

'Can I help you, sir?'

Esposito turned to the honey-voiced woman who appeared beside him soundlessly as a ghost. He shook his head. 'I have a quick appointment to see Francesca Mendes, when she's finished.'

'Oh you must be the cousin. I'm Trudy. Frannie and I share counter space and client lists.' The woman offered her hand which Esposito shook warmly. 'I've never seen her so excited to make a sale. Of course, you being family must have something to do with it.'

'My family have been placing wagers as to when this would happen, and she thinks she's going to hit the jackpot.'

Trudy pressed a hand to the Fendi scarf at her neck in concern. 'Oh dear. Gambling on an engagement. I don't know if I'd call that good luck.'

'The Esposito and Huertas clans do. And history's proven the higher the wage, the happier the marriage. So far, according to my sister, the pot's up to nearly seven hundred dollars.'

'Well, then I'm sure you and your soon-to-be fiancee will be very happy.' Ever the eagle-eyed businesswoman, Trudy saw the couple slip away to the cash till and escorted Esposito over. 'Francesca, your four-thirty is here.'

When she saw her cousin, Francesca forgot herself for a moment and raced around the glass cases of exquisite jewels to wrap her arms in pure familial exuberance. 'Javi! Oh, I'm so excited! Oh, this is _huge_!'

'But we're still the only ones who know about it, right? You haven't told anyone in the family?'

'I swear on Micah and Soladora's souls, it's between you and me. Come, come! I have your selections set aside for you to pick out!'

Francesca led him around to one of the glass cases, and pulled out three different rings. 'Now this one is a point-five carat princess cut stone on a classic solitaire setting. Simple, tasteful, elegant. The second one,' she continued, pointing to the middle one in the velvet display stand, 'this is the Lucida Rectangular, a specialty cut designed exclusively for Tiffany's and Company, featuring a full carat diamond. And the last one, this is-'

'That's it.' Esposito stared at it. It was a beautiful ring: a round-cut diamond surrounded on all sides by smaller round cut diamonds to form a star-burst flower on a single platinum band. It had no side stones, no channel settings or pave encrustation; it just let the middle cluster of jewels do all the talking. 'That's Meredeth's ring.'

'Are you sure?' Francesca looked at him. 'This is a very big decision, probably the biggest you'll ever make in your life.'

'Beautiful, classy, and original. That's Meredeth,' he replied with a grin. 'That's her ring, Frannie.'

'Okay, then.' Knowing that tone in her cousin's voice, the one that said he couldn't be swayed from his decision, Francesca took the ring out of the display stand over to the till to write out his paperwork. 'Now, I must warn you, this is the only one in stock, which means we'll have to order yours in. But it should be here by the twentieth. Is that going to be okay?'

'Yeah. I'm not popping the question until...' Esposito trailed off when Francesca's pen stopped on the page. 'How much you in the pool for?'

'Seventy-five for August fifteenth.'

'Then I'm leaving that sentence unfinished. I'm not going to skew the odds, especially considering that my sister seems to be the family bookie.'

'Damn. Okay, so I've got you set up on the payment plan, but you know you can adjust that at anytime, right?'

'Yeah.'

Francesca handed him the receipt and payment information in a sealed envelope. 'Got anywhere you can stash this that Meredeth won't find it?'

'I'll find a spot.' Esposito tucked the paperwork into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, then gave his cousin one last embrace. 'Wish me luck, I'm off to see your Tia Rosie.'

The next stop was even further uptown, on East Ninety-Second and Second Avenue, in the heart of Spanish Harlem. He paused a moment outside the building to smile at the banner over the door - a brilliantly coloured lizard with a fork and knife and bib; under the cartoon were the words The Salamander Bakery, established 1971. No matter how old he got, he always felt like he was six years old again, going to work with his mother and watching her knead bread, mix cake batters and greet every customer by name in English or Spanish while her assistant made him a little rack of raisin biscuits to keep him and Lily occupied.

He walked in the door, into madness. The customers were lined up to the door, and each one coming away from the counter with the trademark lime-green boxes he knew would contain delectable goodies. He knew it was small of him but he skirted the lineup and went straight to the counter. He saw yet another cousin of his, Daisy, filling orders of cookies - the daily special - and nodded at her.

'Hey, _primo_ Tia Rosie's in back. Better make it quick, though, we're slammed in here today.'

Esposito passed behind the counter, through the little stone archway and saw his mother there, spooning cookie batter like a madwoman onto her Silpat-lined trays then shoving them into man-sized ovens.

'You look like Mrs. Lovett, Mami.'

Rosalita's head whipped up, surprise racing into her eyes. She raced over and gave her son a bone-crushing hug; because it was his mother, he didn't care that she'd gotten flour on his jacket. 'Javier, what you are doing here? Sit, sit, have a _galleta_. Such a mad house. If I'd known you are coming, I'd have made fresh coffee.'

'I can't stay long, Mami, Meredeth and I are leaving tomorrow for our little vacation out west.'

'Oh yes, Meredeth's going on the television again. Lily's told me she's going to D-V-R it,' she said, enunciating each letter to make sure she had the right ones. Because she could hear the bell of the door jingling as it opened and closed with more customers coming in, Rosalita dumped more butter and sugar into her standing mixer and set it blitzing. 'So why you come to see your mama? You got big news?'

'I have, actually.' Dusting the cookie crumbs from his mouth and hands, Esposito took a deep breath. It would be the first time he'd actually used the words out loud. 'I'm going to ask Meredeth to marry me.'

Rosalita turned around, mouth open in shock. 'I knew it! Oh, I just knew it! Haha, my boy!' She all but danced over to Esposito, who was grinning bashfully as she hugged him tightly against her. 'When? Who else knows?'

'I'm not saying when, I know you've got some money riding on it, and only Francesca knows. She helped me with the ring.'

'Have you bought it? Is it with you?'

'Just came from putting the first money down for it, but the ring is on order. I couldn't take the show-model home with me,' he explained off Rosalita's confused look. 'But listen. I don't want you telling Papa or Lily. I haven't even told Ryan or Castle or Beckett.'

'Why I can't tell your father? He'll have everyone buy his rum and beer tonight at the church.'

'Because Papa is a stone-cold vault except when it comes to Lourdes Lucita Maria George-Esposito and there is a reason I call my sister Fog-Horn Lilly-Horn and not for her cute impression of the Looney-Tunes character. I want as many people to be as surprised as Meredeth the night I do it.'

It ground her on her patience, but Rosalita understood her boy well enough to know there would be a whole new kind of hell to pay if she went against his wishes. 'You have asked Constance her permission?'

'It's my last call to make today. I wanted to tell you first.' Esposito shifted on the spot, feel once again like he was a little boy in awe of the formidable Rosalita Sanchita Huertas-Esposito. 'You're my mami.'

'Oh, Javier.' Now tears welled up, glossy and bright in her eyes as she waved butter-greased hands in front of her face. Knowing she needed to do something before she turned into a fountain, Rosalita grabbed a medium sized box off the shelf and began to pop in leftover sweet rolls she'd been planning to use for bread pudding, along with a dozen or so of the almond snaps she knew Meredeth liked. 'Here, take these for your sweetheart.'

'Thanks Mami.'

Esposito kissed his mother's cheek, then braved the still frothing-at-the-mouth-for-cookies crowd out front to escape with the most minor of dents to his torso. As he made his way to the subway station, he flipped out his cell and dialed Constance's number in Miami. On the third ring, Terrance, Constance's live-in companion answered.

'Oh hi, Terrance, it's Javier Esposito calling, is Constance available?'

'Of course, boy.' As Esposito waited, he could clearly hear Terrance bellow on his end of the line that Meredeth's New York copper was on the phone. Moments later, the formidable grandmother of his one-and-only picked up the call.

'Javier, so good to hear from you, and a little unexpected. To what do I owe the honour?'

'I...' Suddenly the little speech he'd prepared in his mind seem to stick in his throat like glue. 'I have to ask you a very important question.'

'This sounds serious. Is everything all right up there in the Big Apple?'

'Oh yeah, it's nothing bad.'

'Then just spit it out.'

It was solid, reasonable advice, which Esposito took to heart. He stopped just at the stop of the subway station's entrance-only staircase. 'Constance, your granddaughter is the love of my life and I would like your permission to ask her to marry me.'

'Well, of course, Javier! Took you long enough to get your courage up!' Constance's laugh was sweet and amused, and just a little wistful. 'Is it something you two have talked about?'

'We have, though it's mostly come in the form of the baby-talk, and we both know we want to be married before any little ones are making their appearance.'

'You're a good man, with a good family and good values. But more importantly, you love my Meredeth with all your heart and you want to show her that, so my only question is will I be around to see the question asked?'

'Of course. I have it already planned, but in the spirit of fairness since I haven't told my family, you can't know either.'

'Naturally. No need for the future in-laws to gloat.'

'I have to go, my train's going to be here in like seven minutes,' Esposito said, looking at his watch as he began to descend the stairs. 'Okay, so that's the first steps down. I'm sure I'll talk to you soon.'

'Absolutely. Take care, my boy and I promise, not a breath of a whisper to my _pige_.'

Esposito snapped his phone shut, and just barely made it onto the train; clearly the gods of fortune were using up his karma-bank credit as he'd have a hell of a lot of finagling and side-stepping to do if he had missed it. The ride put him a miserly three blocks from his house and because the night air was sweet as sugar, with the breeze promising a cooler night than the day had been, he sauntered a little as he walked toward Twenty-Fifth Street.

He stopped half a block from the townhouse as he saw the unmistakable silhouette of Meredeth and Arturo walking out the door and down the stairs for their nightly breath of fresh air. Yes, he thought, the ring did suit her - she was beautiful and classy and original. She was his Meredeth.

Picking up his pace, he walked down the street and held out the box. 'I come from the East, bearing sweet sweet gifts,' he intoned in a mock-reverent voice.

She turned around and Esposito felt his heart giddy-up when he saw the excitement in her face that it was him, home from work with a box of pastries. 'Hey baby! Oh, you went to your mami's bakery today, didn't you? They stick you on donut run or something?'

'Or something. Look inside.'

Meredeth lifted the lid and gasped in delight. 'Almond galletas! These are like heaven in cookie form. I have to get your mother to give me this recipe.'

'You haven't tried already?' Esposito asked, as he passed her the box and took Arturo's leash from her.

'Oh, I've tried, but all she says is they're a secret family recipe.' She shrugged good-naturedly. 'I'll get it from her eventually.'

All Esposito could do was grin as they ate pastries and walked the dog. 'Eventually' would be here sooner than she knew.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	46. Click: July 6

'This is so cool! I can't believe we get to do this again!'

'And the best part is I get to see this one live. Babe, when are the pizzas getting here?'

'Soon, Honey-Milk. Would you like a dozen roasted eggplants as a snack before they arrive?'

'Sure, you wanna barbecue them for me, Castle?'

Lanie giggled at the tumbling conversations in Castle's living room. She'd worked the day shift of the holiday Monday while her friends had only been on call and Ryan, the lucky duck, had actually had the whole day off. While she'd originally been cranky, the news the previous Thursday that Meredeth would be going on _The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson_ again on Monday night had been the carrot getting her through the day, especially considering that Dave was on call and had been called in just an hour before. She'd been so looking forward to having him come to another group thing.

Instead, she focused her energy on making Honey-Milk a fruit plate; the woman, it seemed wanted nothing but fresh fruit and pizza during the late stages of her pregnancy. And not just apples and oranges - Ryan had been making stops on his way home every night to the Korean fruit market to pick up various treasures like , papayas, star-fruits, dragon-fruits and in one very weird request, a basket of kumquats. She brought it over to her friend, then settle in on the couch beside Alexis and her boyfriend Patrick.

'Hey check it out.' Because she was partially lying down with her head propped up by pillows, Honey-Milk balanced the plate flat on her belly, the grapes jiggling as the baby moved around. 'I got my own built-in TV tray!'

'I don't think Dell-slash-Abby likes being put to work already,' Ryan told her, take her snack and setting it beside her calcium rich orange juice as the doorbell rang. 'And that would be the main course.'

Beckett went to the door, paid for the four boxes of pizza. 'One large Hawaiian, one large cheese, one large vegetarian, and one personal meat-lover's,' she told Castle, passing him the small box. 'Knock yourself out, Rick.'

They dove into their slices as the witty Scottish presenter began to opening monologue; the only sound heard in the whole house was the chewing of pizza as they watched.

_Hey speaking of better the second time around, my very dear Twitter and email-pal Meredeth Coleman is here, yes she is, and instead of having her interview interrupted by her boyfriend texting her this time, she's just brought him along instead! Where is he, where is...oh what? Okay, he says he's right over there, but he doesn't want any cameras on him until she comes out to talk to me. Well, la-dee-da, Mister fancy pants._

'Of course he'd be in the audience,' Ryan said around a mouthful of peppers and onions and cheese. 'Think he'll go up there with her?'

Beckett shook her head. 'Nah, I don't think so. For all his comfortability around big groups of people and being able to talk to anything that'll talk back, public speaking terrifies him.'

'Seriously?' Castle looked at her with incredulity.

'Oh yeah. He had to give a demo on finger-printing to a group of fifth-graders who came to the precinct on a class trip and before they got there, he said 'Excuse me while I go vomit.' I thought he was joking until I saw him leaving the men's room.'

'Who'd have guessed that one?'

'Why do you think he was drinking so much before he made the toast at our wedding?' Ryan pointed out. 'Oh, hey, hey, look we're back!'

Conversation once again halted like a button had been pushed. All eyes focused on the screen as Craig began his introduction of their friend.

_My first guest tonight, well she's done a lot since she was last here last October. Can you believe it's been that long? She's had another Lady Hawk book come out, she was in Bombshell magazine, and she's been working on the production of the first Lady Hawk Book into a miniseries. I know, I cannot wait for it either. She's beautiful, she's brainy, what the hell's she doing here? I'm kidding, I know why she's here. Meredeth Coleman, everyone!_

Castle's loft erupted in noise as they cheered for their friend, watched her walk on screen in a lovely floral top, black pedalpushers and wedge sandals.

_Hello my New York friend, I must say you are looking very West Coast and summery.  
_

_Thank you, I've been shopping in Santa Monica earlier today, I went with Javi to the raceway on the weekend, so it was my turn today and we hit the boardwalk and pier this morning._

_That's so cute, you trade off things like that?_

_Well, yeah, it's part of that newfangled compromise thing. I dunno, some people say it's what you need to make a relationship work, so we're giving it a try._

_And as I understand, you two are actually on his vacation right now, right?_

_We are, and I nearly didn't come because I was like, no, I'm not letting work interfere with it, and he said, are you, you know f-'n kidding me? It's the Shark Week guy, so I was like, okay, we'll fit that in._

'Yeah, like Esposito would have let her pass that up,' Castle scoffed, earning a considering look from Beckett. 'Esposito knows the friendship she has with Craig is hard to find with a media personality, there was no way he'd have let her miss it.'

'Quiet, they're still talking!' Lanie shushed him.

_So what all have you done on your vacation so far?_

_Well, we spent all day Saturday at Six Flags in Jackson New Jersey, and I have to tell this story, I can see him over there shaking his head and laughing at me, but it's just too funny, I have to share. We were like, let's do something different for Fourth of July weekend, we're not going with our friends to the Hamptons like we did for Memorial day because one couple is having a baby very very soon, another has to work so it's just- the timing's not right this time around. I was like, hey, this is something we haven't done before, let's go to Six Flags!_

_You'd never done that together?_

_Well, when you start dating in October, going to theme parks is a little trickier, but I think we're also going to Disney-Land on our way back from San-Francisco later in the week. Anyways, we get to the park, and I'm so stoked, I can't wait to go on all the coasters, and I can sense Javi's a little apprehensive but I think, okay, he's gone parasailing, and hangliding, and for his birthday, we went flying with test-pilots so it's probably just anxiety over waiting. Then we get on our first coaster, The Batman, which is an inverted track so your feet are dangling loose. We get on, we get our belts checked and we start going up the ramp. I'm looking around at the scenery and I'm like, isn't this awesome, baby, but all I get is a very stiff 'uh-huh' and I look over and he's like this._

They watched as Meredeth arranged herself in the chair so she was square to the audience, feet flat on the floor, arms cocked up like she was holding onto the over-the-shoulder safety harness of a roller-coaster. The live audience laughed as she clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut. Craig himself was having a very hard time keeping a straight face as Meredeth continued her story.

_He's just absolutely in his own little world, and I'm like, Javi are you okay? And no word of a lie, this is his response: Shh, not while I'm praying Mere, all those higher powers might not hear me if you talk._

In Castle's living room, everyone exploded in laughter, not so much at Esposito's phobia but at Meredeth's recounting of the story.

'Again, who knew?' Lanie squeaked out, swiping at her eyes.

'That's the strangest thing in the world. He's a good flier, we've flown down to Vegas before, so that makes no sense.' Ryan shook his head. 'Everyone's got their quirks, though.'

_Did you manage to get through it without him wanting to kill you?_

_Oh yeah, that was the funniest thing, because after we got up the ramp, the rest of the ride, he was screaming his head off and having a grand old time. That sounds very dirty doesn't it?  
_

_I'm so glad you picked that out and not me, because I'd look a little creepy hitting on you in front of your boyfriend who looks like he could probably bench press me before breakfast_

_Well, hang because my story gets better, but...oh, are you sure? Javi over there says he wants to tell the second part of this because he tells it better. Do you mind if he comes up here and joins in?_

_Let's ask the audience, would you like to hear the embarrassing roller coaster story from Meredeth's boyfriend? I'll take that as a yes, now I want to give him an introduction, what's his full name?_

_Javier Esposito_

_And what does he do?_

_He's a cop_

_Very well. He's one of the Big Apple's boys in blue, and my lovely friend Meredeth's significant other. Please welcome Javier Esposito up to the stage_

This time, the party in Castle's loft had no quippy remarks to make as they watched their friend come up from behind the cameras and warmly embrace Meredeth, giving her a sweet kiss before taking the seat of honour beside Craig and letting Meredeth move to the next chair over.

'No fucking way,' Patrick breathed, then winced as he felt a balled up paper napkin hit him in the head. 'Sorry, Mister Castle.'

'That's more like it.'

Beside him, Beckett wrapped her arm around his waist. 'He beat you to it?'

'Damn right he did.'

_Good to have you on the show, young man, now let's cut down to it. You're at the park, you're on the coaster, you're praying to whomever will listen_

_Right, well, we were in line for a different coaster, and Meredeth was beside me, and she points out this thing in the distance, and I'd seen it on our way in, it's this green metal thing, it looks like a service high-rise of some kind, it's about forty stories or so in the air-_

_Forty six_

_Thanks, babe, forty six, and she wraps her arms around me, and says you brave enough for that? I was like, for what, and she says back to me, that's the King-Da Ka, think you can handle it? It was an actual roller-coaster, I sincerely thought she was joking at first  
_

_Did you nearly pass out?_

_I just looked at her and said are you crazy, she comes back with what if I paid you a million dollars_

_Would you do it if she paid you a million dollars?_

_I told her, you could dip yourself in chocolate, roll in toasted coconut head to foot and promise me the dirtiest deeds known to mankind on silk sheets and I still wouldn't get on that damn thing.  
_

'Well, I guess we know why he likes chocolate macaroons so much,' Honey-Milk giggled.

Alexis picked up another slice of pizza from the box. 'I thought you said he doesn't like public speaking.'

'He doesn't.' Now Beckett sat up, studied the image of her colleague on screen. 'Is he drunk?'

'No way. Meredeth wouldn't let him do this if he'd been into the bottle,' Castle scoffed, polishing off the last of his own pizza. 'Maybe a nip of rum, but it'd take a lot more than a quick shot of Jamaican happy juice to get him that comfortable.'

Ryan ground his teeth in frustration as he began to think back to the email he'd accidentally seen. What if his boy was using this as practice for something a lot bigger? Yes, that had to be it. But was he even planning on doing it soon? Had he even looked at the bling? Was he even going to get a ring before he asked Meredeth or did he want to pick it out with her? Damn this was frustrating; here he was sitting on a big fat gossip egg and he couldn't bring it up with the one person he needed to grill without looking nosy and prying.

As the show went to commercial, Lanie got up to make tea for Honey-Milk and herself while the rest of them continued to debate Esposito's unexpected late-night appearance.

'Maybe she promised him that chocolate dipped sex if he did it,' Castle mused. 'Wouldn't put it past him, the two things he loves most in life are Meredeth and chocolate.'

Beckett shook her head. 'Maybe she threatened to stop cooking for him. It's cliche but the guy could burn a pot of boiling water without even trying. Kinda makes me wonder if Meredeth wasn't really behind his so called barbecue skills from Memorial Day weekend.'

'What if it's a little more romantic than that?'

All eyes turned to Alexis, as the pretty young woman blushed red as her hair from chin to scalp. 'I mean, what if he's going to propose to her soon, and he's using this as a practice run to work on his courage, without having to be drunk when he makes the biggest decision of his life?'

From in the kitchen, Lanie shook her head. 'Once again, a room full of cops and none of you came up with that possibility?'

* * *

_ R&R&Enjoy._


	47. Click: July 12

'Dude.'

Esposito stood at his locker in the precinct gym, polo shirt in hand. He'd just finished the workout regime that he and Ji-Suk had prepared to get him back to his usual fitness level; he was now showered and redressing, and evidently being interrupted by Ryan who was changing from his suit into his running sweats. 'What?'

'What's that?'

'What?'

'That' Naked to the waist, Ryan stepped over, tapped his index finger against the mark near the base of Esposito throat. 'Is that what I think it is?'

Esposito looked in the mirror he'd hung in his locker and swore. 'Well, shit.' He knew he and Meredeth had been getting pretty into it the night before, but he'd doubted anyone would have been so up-close to bust him on it.

'It is, isn't it?'

'What's going on?' Gil popped his head around the corner, having just emerged from one of the showers with a towel around his waist.

Ryan couldn't help himself. 'Detective Esposito's girlfriend gave him a hickey!'

Gil came over to inspect, poke at his friend like Ryan had. 'Yep, that's a good one too. She doesn't always play rough like that, does she?' he asked with a suggestive smirk. 'Mouth like that, you'd cringe to think what kind of damage she could do other places on a brother.'

'Piss off, Mazzara,' Esposito pouted, putting his shirt on and unsure whether he should be flattered his Meredeth was getting such high praise in the locker room or insulted she was their sex-object of the day. 'Might I point out I'm the only one of the three of us getting the good stuff right now?'

'Yeah, by default. You've got Meredeth, I've got a lying slut of a soon-to-be ex-wife and Ryan's girl can barely bend over to tie her shoes since she's got Little Ryan ready to pop out at any moment.'

'Doesn't mean I don't get the good stuff.' Miffed, Ryan dragged his t-shirt on over his head, checked the battery on his iPod. 'What, you think pregnant women don't wanna get laid, because I can assure you-'

He was cut off when a cellphone buzzed from one of their open lockers; as it wasn't the Beach Boys, Esposito ruled himself out. His hand frozen on his locker door when Ryan picked up and the look on his face went from jovial to thunderstruck in a heartbeat.

'Oh my god, are you sure...okay, well how far apart...where are you...okay, get Meredeth to drive you, I'll meet you at Saint Vincent's as soon as I get out of here...I love you too.'

He hung up the phone and stared at it. 'Jenny's in labour. I'm gonna be a daddy.'

'Oh shit! Congrats man!' Gil slapped him on the shoulder, then saw Ryan had budged. 'Ry?'

'I'm gonna be a father.'

'Dude!' Gil's hand moved from the Irishman's shoulder to tap him lightly on the face. Apparently the call had sent him into a slight fugue state. 'Ryan, she's waiting for you, you need to get moving.'

'Right.'

The words or the pat to the cheek, Esposito wasn't sure which one did it, shook Ryan from his fog as he began to fumble for his things from his locker. 'I, ah, keys-'

'Bro, you're not driving anywhere.' Esposito nipped them from the locker shelf, along with Ryan's bag and his own. 'We'll take your car. Gil, can you swing into the bullpen, let them know?'

'You got it, bro. Hey, good luck man.'

Ryan gave Gil a quick embrace; he knew how hard it was for the Vice cop to be around him given the circumstances. 'Thanks bro.'

They headed down to the garage, tossing Ryan's things in the back of his car and taking a few minutes for Esposito to adjust the mirrors. Despite being roughly the same height as his partner, Esposito had a shorter torso and longer legs, so Ryan's side-views were a hell of a lot different than his own. They zipped out of the garage and into Saturday lunchtime traffic.

'She said she felt a bit funny when we were having breakfast this morning, why didn't I see that?'

'Where was she calling from?' Esposito asked as he negotiated a tight turn.

'Your place. She'd gone with Meredeth over to Chelsea Park with Arturo and needed to pee, and when they were walking back, she was having routine contractions.' Ryan ground his teeth as they stopped in the thick of traffic for a red light. 'Think we should turn on the sirens?'

'Contrary to what Hollywood wants us to believe, it takes longer than a sitcom's run-time to pop out a caterwauling ball of flesh.'

'That's my son or daughter you're talking about, you know.'

'Sorry, just trying for a little levity since it's going to take a long time.' Esposito turned east to head towards the hospital. 'My cousin Frannie-'

'You have a cousin Frannie?'

'Well, Francesca, but we call her Frannie, her little girl Soladora took her sweet ass time coming out. Jenny's a warrior, she'll get through it.'

They parked in the underground attached to the hospital, and Esposito had to restrain Ryan from sprinting inside. He held his friend at arm's length against the side of the car. 'Ryan, you got it together right?'

When Ryan nodded, they walked into the check-in desk where they were greeted by a sunny-faced receptionist. 'How can I help you?'

'My wife, Jenny Ryan, she's in labour.'

'Ah, congratulations, let me find out where she is for you.' The receptionist turned to her computer, called up whatever information was appropriate. 'Yes, it says here she came through the ER clinic, so you'll probably find her down there. The clinic, not the ER waiting room.'

'Of course. Thanks.' Having met Jenny there many times after work, Ryan knew where to go. Setting off towards the appropriate hallway, he kept his pace brisk but calm; all he wanted was to see his wife. Freaking out could come later. 'Jenny's baby doc, Krishner, she was one of the people who opened the ER clinic, and told Jenny if she had any labour symptoms five weeks and under that's where she should go,' he explained to Esposito as they made their way over.

'Really, she's at a free clinic?'

'A fast-track clinic. Like where you go for the doctor when it's unexpected but you don't need the ER.'

Esposito opened his mouth to say something else, but when they went through the doors, he saw Ryan was right: the waiting room was done in bright blues and greens and felt more like a regular medical office than it being attached to a major metropolitan hospital. He went straight to the desk and with a calm that surprised Esposito, Ryan asked in a very clear voice, 'Excuse me, my wife Jenny Ryan was brought in, she'd gone into labour?'

'Of course, sir, she's in Exam Room Three,' the nurse replied after a quick check of information.

'Thank you.'

The two men found the room and went in; sure enough, Honey-Milk was in a gown, lying on her left side attached to an IV of clear fluid and some kind of beeping monitor. On the opposite side of the bed Meredeth folded her street clothes into neat squares and put them into a very large purple canvas bag on a chair. The pregnant woman's face light up like a sun when she saw Ryan. 'Hey sweetie.'

'Hi.' He pulled up a chair beside her, took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth. 'How are you feeling?'

'Scared. It's too soon.'

'Babies do things on their terms. I was a full three weeks early and look how I turned out,' Ryan joked, glad he was able to make her smile a little. 'Has the doctor been in yet?'

'No. I'd literally just gotten admitted and into the gown, and the nurse finished hooking me up. It's just a glucose drip, to help keep my energy up.' Honey-Milk pointed to the IV.

'What can I do?'

Honey-Milk put her free hand over their joined ones. 'Just this. This is perfect right now.'

'We'll be right outside if you need anything.' Taking Esposito by the arm, Meredeth tugged him out the door, where they sat in uncomfortably small chairs. 'How'd he take it when Jenny called?' she asked when she was certain the door had shut.

'I think he actually blacked out for a moment.'

Meredeth snorted. 'Seriously?'

'Yeah, when he hung up, he just kinda stood there dazed.'

'Poor guy. Didn't see that one coming today did he? Kinda jumped up and bit him in the ass.'

'Speaking of which...' Esposito leaned closer, unbuttoned his top two shirt buttons and jerked aside the cotton. 'Care to explain this one?'

She looked over, down his shirt to the bruise-like mark near his left clavicle. 'We were having a good time, and you were digging it so I didn't see any reason to stop. Besides, it was dark and I don't have night vision. You hadn't noticed it until you got to the gym?'

'No, I saw it when I was shaving this morning after I got out of the shower. Ryan and Gil saw it when I was in the locker room. It's not funny, Mere,' he added pointedly when he saw her shoulders begin to shake.

'Oh,' Meredeth pressed her lips together, trying to hold in the laugh, 'I think I'll have to disagree. Consider it evening the score from when you gave him hell over interrupting our sexy-time back in January, 'cause I'm gonna guess this is how he felt after you and Castle had a good laugh at him in the bullpen.'

'Well that's-' Esposito cut himself off when he realized she was right; it was so infuriating when she was right some days. Rebuttoning his shirt, he dragged a hand over his face. 'I think unless I'm on vacation, we should have a no love-bites policy.'

'Fine. Then you can't leave hickeys on my thighs, you perverted animal.'

Esposito gave her the wall-eye. 'If someone can see those, we should be having a whole other conversation, my love.'

'What if I'm having a dress fitting done? My seamstress would see them. Don't forget we've got my book launch next month, I have to get a dress for that.'

'Oh yeah.' The mention of the launch party had his stomach doing somersaults.

'You going to be okay doing the welcome speech?'

'Mere you dedicated the book to me, there's no way in hell I'm going to let you down.'

'Well just remember, it's going to be a lot smaller than the last one, hardly more than fifty or so people so-'

She stopped talking when she saw Doctor Krishner, a petite Indian woman who inexplicably reminded her of an exotic bird, go in the room. Immediately, she gripped Esposito's hand. 'Oh, this is it, the doctor's going to tell Honey-Milk and Ryan when they're going to be a mommy and daddy!'

'You know, for someone who doesn't like horror movies, you're very comfortable here.'

'There's a difference between being supportive of a friend having a baby and watching Jigsaw make some poor girl dig in her own eye for...oh, God, nope, can't even finished that one.' Meredeth let out a shudder. 'You still owe me for making me watch that with you.'

'You like _The Exorcist_, and _Psycho_.'

'Because those use your brain against you. The _Saw _movies are torture-porn at its finest. I personally blame Eli Roth for that trend. He's cute but he's seriously deranged.'

Esposito laughed. 'Hey, I forgot something when I got here.'

'What?'

He leaned over and gave her a kiss. 'That.'

'Aw, what a softie. Oh, Doctor Krishner.' Meredeth looked up as the doctor came out of the room, anxious to hear any news. 'How's Jenny? How many centimetres is she dilated? Three, four?'

'Zero. It was a false alarm.' Krishner clicked her pen, tucket it into her lab coat breast pocket. 'It's nothing to worry about, it happens to new mothers all the time. Once they have less than six weeks to the due date, they think every little stomach cramp or hiccup from the foetus is a contraction. The important thing is for her to go home and rest. You can see her, she's just finished dressing.'

They went in, saw Honey-Milk sitting on the edge of the bed while Ryan helped slide her shoes on her feet. 'There we go.'

'Oh thanks sweetie. You're the best.' Honey-Milk turned embarrassed eyes towards her friends. 'And you guys too. You'd think being a nurse, I'd know the difference between gas and labour. I just wanna go sleep.'

'Why don't you come to our place?' Esposito offered.

'Oh, I couldn't-'

'No, really. We've got a queen size bed with goose-down pillows, very comfy. Ryan and I can kick it down stairs with some Madden 2011 while you rest, and there's always Meredeth's cooking.'

'I can make you some _gule aerter_, without the bacon. I know it's one of your favourites.' Meredeth brushed her hand over Honey-Milk's shoulder as the woman began to sob in little wet sniffles. 'Or not, you know, your call.'

'No, it's the damn hormones. They're making me all loopy. _Gule aerter_ at your house sounds lovely. I just really thought I was going to be a mom today.' Honey-Milk squeezed her husband's hand. 'Kev-'

'It's okay. Why don't we take a walk outside, get some fresh air?'

Meredeth watched him loop Honey-Milk's arm through his, walk with his still very pregnant bride onto the street. 'Well, there is one good thing out of her not having the baby today.'

'What's that?' Wrapping his arm around Meredeth's waist, they followed their friends outside, went the opposite direction to where Meredeth had parked the Nissan at a meter.

'Castle had today picked as the birthday of Little Ryan so he's out of the pool. No gloating,' she added, giving him a poke in the ribs when she saw the amused smile working across his face.

'Nah, I was just thinking a Ryan finally got the better of Richard Castle. Even if it is the unborn one.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	48. Click: July 17 A

The first thing Meredeth heard when she awoke the day she had to leave for San Diego wasn't her alarm, or even her boyfriend's voice but the whine of a camera snapping a photo. She groaned rolled to her back; the heat of summer was in full swing and she'd slept completely naked with the very light cotton sheet around her waist for some kind of barrier. When she heard the sound again, she squinted open an eye and saw Esposito above her on the bed with their digital camera, taking photos of her as she slept.

'You know,' she told him in a voice still groggy with fatigue, 'some girlfriends might consider that a little creepy.'

'Yes but if I tried to take naked pictures of you any other time, you'd break the camera.'

'Ah, well, the stealthy photographer always gets his shot, one way or another.'

Esposito smiled, then tugged his boxers off after he set the camera aside. 'And the photographer always gets the model, too.'

He kissed her fully, deeply, ran his hands over skin already dewed with July's sweltering temperatures. He rolled on top of her, pleased to find her warm as they kissed and made love on their bed as the sun streamed in the window. Afterward, they lay there, Meredeth dancing her fingers over his shoulder.

'You look so sad, my love.'

'You're going away,' he pouted. 'It's the longest and farthest apart we've been in this relationship.'

'You're going to see me in six days, though.'

'And Lex is sharing a room with us.'

'Not in San Diego. I talked to Castle when we were arranging Alexis' flights and that, and I told him I'd pay for her to have her own room in San Diego so you and I could have some private time before we didn't see each other for three weeks. He totally understood.'

'Oh. So this isn't bye-bye sex, then,' he asked her, and got a grin which soothed his sadness immensely.

'Nope. And just remember, four out of the twenty days i'm gone is nothing but flight time, so I'm really only gone for seventeen days.'

Esposito perked up at this, though he knew when she was gone, he would be racking up as many overtime hours as possible so he could put as much money towards her ring as he possibly could. He didn't want ring and wedding payments happening simultaeneously. 'Well, in that case, is bacon and pancakes out of the question?'

'I was thinking crepe-lets but we can do that instead.'

'No, no, crepe-lets are good, crepel-ets are yummy.'

They showered and dressed, Meredeth taking her luggage downstairs; she was only taking what she needed for California with her, as Esposito would be visiting her on the weekend and be taking her extra suitcase as his when he flew out, since he only needed a shaving kit and a small amount of clothes for himself.

In the kitchen, Esposito watched as she mixed the crepe batter, then set it aside and turned to him. 'I don't want you eating take-out the entire time I'm gone, so I put some things in the freezer for you, and there's plenty of meat cooked in the freezer, just warm it and slice and you can have a sandwich. But don't thaw all of it, just what you need, okay, because I-'

'Mere, it's okay.' He put his hands on her shoulders. 'I know you're nervous.'

'About flying? No, I'm fine to fly with. A fully charged ipod, a personal-sized bottle of red wine and I'm a happy traveler. But you're right, this is the longest I'll have been away from you. What if...what if my night terrors come back?'

'Oh baby.' It hadn't even occurred to him that she would be anxious about having an episode. 'You and I both know that your sessions with Werner cleared those up. We went out to California two weeks ago and you didn't have a single one.'

He kissed her sweetly, to show her she didn't have anything to worry about, then just held her close. 'You want me to fix the eggs?'

'Okay.'

She stepped aside, swiped at her nose a little as he cracked three eggs into a bowl, whipped them with a wire whisk. Then she watched in abject horror as he took the milk from the fridge.

'No!'

'No what?'

'No milk. You're more likely to screw up the consistency.'

'Okay, no milk.' Esposito set the carton aside on the counter. 'What next?'

'Pan, very hot, with butter so the eggs don't stick. But first, grated cheese.'

Esposito found the grater, shredded a neat little mountain of cheddar onto the cutting board; the sound of the plastic wrapper being crinkled had brought Arturo skidding into the kitchen. 'Not yet, buddy,' he told the dog quivering in delight.

'Aw Daddy, please?' Meredeth said in a nasal, squeaky voice for the dog, making Esposito shake his head.

'If Mommy weren't here, I'd let you have all you want, but she's still watching.'

'Nice.'

'Okay, now the pan?'

'Now the pan.'

Esposito chased a little pat of butter around in the pan, watched as it sizzled, then poured in the beaten eggs. 'How long do they have to stay like this?'

'Now, put in the cheese.'

'Yes, chef.'

He did so, saw how the little orange shreds melted, well, like cheese over the hot eggs. 'Next?'

'Spatula, and you want to run it around the edges of the pan to loosen but not destroy.'

'Loosen but not destroy?'

'You want to to keep its shape, not scramble.' Meredeth had to stuff her hands in her pockets to avoid taking the spatula out of his hands and doing it herself. She would, by God, get him to make one thing from scratch that didn't belong in Arturo's paw-prints food dish. She watched as he dutifully shimmied the blade of the utensil around the edge of the eggs. 'Good, see how it's starting to brown and curl at the edge a little? We want to fold it over now, like you're folding a piece of paper.'

'Right.' He once again slid the spatula under the cooking eggs, and with as much care as he could manage, flipped the eggs onto themselves, then cursed when he saw the folded seam split. 'Shit.'

'No, no, that's okay, so long as no cheese was harmed. Press down on the edges, like a grilled sandwich, there you go.'

Five minutes later, Esposito proudly slipped the cooked eggs onto the plate, passed Meredeth a fork. 'Your weapon, sensai.'

Meredeth dug in, chewed carefully. She said nothing as she swallowed, and her face was so serious Esposito wondered if he was going to get an ass-kicking for giving her food poisoning when she had to be on a flight to San Diego in three hours. Instead she cleared her throat, leaned in and spoke in her 'come to mama, big boy' sexy voice. 'Javier J. Esposito, I can officially say I'd marry you for your omelette skills.'

'Really?' Esposito goggled.

'This is amazing. A little chewy, and a little crispy around the edges, but you managed to make something in the kitchen, from scratch without setting off the smoke alarm or sending me running for the bathroom to puke my guts out. In fact, it's delicious.' She brushed her hands off his shoulder. 'Let me just do that, Mister Big-Shot Omelette Maker.'

'High praise indeed.' He wrapped his arms around her waist, gave her a sloppy wet kiss. 'Now can you make the crepes?'

* * *

An hour and a half later, Esposito loaded Meredeth's suitcase into the trunk of the Nissan as Meredeth said good-bye to Arturo.

'I'm gonna miss you buddy, but I will be home sooner than you think. And Daddy will bribe you with lots and lots of orange-stuff so you will behave, right?' She giggled when Arturo gave her cheek a kiss, whimpered a little when she closed the door, locked it and went down the stairs to the car. She gave a watery sigh. 'It's gonna be weird to be sneezing in Japan and not hear him running in terror.'

'Yeah, he'll only do that for you. He's cute but weird. Shall we?'

Meredeth could only nod, and wasn't surprised at all when she got into the car and the tears began to fall as they turned off of Twenty-Fifth Street onto Eighth Avenue. It was ridiculous but she couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed. When she'd made this plan back in January with Robina, it had seemed forever into the future. Then, suddenly she was waking up in the middle of July. She was living with Esposito, her new place had become their place, her dog had become their baby. When she sniffled, reached for the tissues, she felt Esposito grab her hand and squeeze reassuringly.

'I love you, Javi.'

'I love you too, Mere. Hey, can you do me a favour when you're in Tokyo?'

'Okay?'

'Can you take some pictures of like sharks and octopuses and email them to me and see if I can figure out, is it an aquarium or a sushi bar?'

'You got it, big guy,' Meredeth laughed as her phone rang. 'Hello. Oh hi, Lanie. No we're at Sixth and Thirty-Fourth, why? Oh, okay. Sure, no problem. Got it. Bye-bye.'

Meredeth clicked off the call, cleared her throat. 'We need to make a left on Fifth, then head back towards Ninth.'

'I thought we were on our way to the airport.'

'Not anymore. Lanie was calling from a cab with Honey-Milk. Her water broke, she's on her way to Saint Vincent's.'

* * *

They parked in the same underground lot as Esposito had when Honey-Milk had had her first false labour of the previous week - she'd had another two after that - with Meredeth calling Robina on her way out of the garage.

'Hey, I know you had planned to meet me, but I'm telling you, I'm not going to be on that flight.'

'What! Why? Mere, I'm up to my ass in requests for interviews from you before the convention starts.'

'Robina, one of my best friends just went into labour, and my-' Meredeth bit her tongue, as she'd nearly called Esposito her 'hubby'; she'd started thinking of him that way more and more lately - 'my Javi is going to be the child's godfather.'

'Of course. Don't worry about it. Even the snippiest of reporters go all mushy over babies. Call me when the blessed miracle arrives and we'll set up a flight out.'

'You got it. Bye-bye.' Meredeth ended the call as they went to the same check-in desk in the fast-track clinic Esposito had been to with Ryan the week before. 'Jenny Ryan, she's having a baby?' she asked the receptionist.

'Yes, Mrs. Ryan is upstairs in the Obstetrics Ward. Floor six, make a left through the purple doors, room six-fourteen.'

'Thank you.'

Once they made it upstairs to the maternity floor, Esposito suddenly felt very humbled as he watched women in varying stages of labour walking around looking very puffy and sweaty; they even saw a woman whose enormous belly looked ready to burst wheeled out of her room and towards a different set of elevators, her man following behind her with stammered words of encouragement.

'Something tells me she's on a lot of drugs,' he whispered to Meredeth.

'Probably she's having twins and they're going to do a C-Section.'

'Actually, the Stones are having triplets, two boys and a girl,' the nurse said who had begun to keep pace with them. 'I'm Andy, I work on the same floor as Honey-Milk.'

Meredeth giggled as she followed Andy to the appropriate room. 'You call her that, too?'

'Oh yeah, we all think it's completely adorable. Hello, soon-to-be mama.'

The trio had turned into the brightly painted birthing suite and saw Honey-Milk propped up in her bed, monitors hooked up to her belly and wrists as she blew out her breath using her techniques learned in Lamaze. Beside her, Lanie was sitting in a chair breathing deeply with her, speaking in a calming voice.

'That's it, that's it, almost there, and...you did it.' Lanie patted her knee. 'You did it.'

'Yeah, one down, how many more to go?' Honey-Milk grabbed a cup of ice chips, chewed on a few of them. 'Hey, what are you two doing here? I thought you were skipping town?'

'What, you think I'm going to miss this?' Meredeth went over, sat on the edge of her friend's bed. 'Where's your baby daddy?'

'On his way. We called him from the spa, asked him to go to our apartment and get my bags.'

'Very good idea. I know the kid's early, but I can feel it in my gut he or she is going to take their sweet time getting here,' Esposito offered. He didn't think he'd ever see the day when he'd be in a room full of women and feel so uncomfortable. As if the fates had read his mind, Doctor Krishner came in, reading over Honey-Milk's chart.

'Well, looks like fourth time's the charm, Jenny. How are you feeling?'

'Thirsty. Can't I call Kevin back, get him to bring me a big green Slushie from the Seven-Eleven?'

'I could go for one myself, but trust me, having a natural, drug-free birth will make you feel everything, including the nausea. I don't want you throwing up while you're also having contractions.' Krishner snapped on her latex gloves, sent Esposito a meaningful look. 'You might want to step out of the room for this part, sir.'

Meredeth had never seen Esposito leave a room so fast in her life.

* * *

_ R&R&Enjoy._


	49. Click: July 17 B

_Hello all, so this is an extended chapter but I didn't want to edit anything out, it's all part of a very big important moment in the Crumbs-verse: Little Ryan is arriving! Enjoy!_

* * *

Esposito waited in the hallway while the doctor performed her exam on Honey-Milk; he told himself he was keeping an eye out for his partner as a way to distract himself from all the poking and prodding he was certain was going on in the room he'd just left.

Sure enough, he saw Ryan walking, not running, in with his wife bags in hand, a storm of emotions on his face. He stopped when he saw Esposito waiting outside.

'Hey, bro, thought you were taking Meredeth to the airport.'

'We were in the car, Lanie called Mere and we detoured here.'

'Thanks but this is going to be a long time, are you sure you-'

'I'm with you till the wheels fall off.' Esposito held out his fist which Ryan bro-dapped once, twice, then pulled his friend in for a tight hug. 'This is it, man.'

'I can't believe it! I'm going to have a son or a daughter soon.'

Ryan's babble was cut short when Krishner came out of the room, deposited her latex gloves in a medical waste bin across the hallway, then turned back to her patient's husband. 'How's she doing so far?'

'Things are looking good. Her water broke, and her contractions are about twelve minutes apart, so there's still some time to go. She's asking if you're here,' Krishner added with a soft smile. 'And no matter what she says, no green Slushies until after the birth.'

Ryan furrowed his brow at Esposito. 'Green Slushies?'

'Apparently she really wants one and Krishner said no,' he explained as they went in the room. Esposito watched the absolute pure love that lit up his partner's face when he saw Honey-Milk in the bed, blond hair tied back from her shiny face. He set the bags down at the foot of the bed, took the chair of honour beside his wife that Lanie gave him wordlessly. He linked his fingers through hers, put his hand on her rock-solid tummy.

'Hey sweetie. I'm here.'

'You made it.' Honey-Milk kissed their joined hands, then winced. 'Ah, felt that one.'

'Contraction?'

'No, kick.'

'Did you have any idea when you woke up this morning?'

'I thought I was having the usual Braxton-Hicks ones, you know how I've been getting them when I first wake up, and then they go away? Well, Lanie picked me up, we went to the day spa, and when I got there I used the restroom before the girl started on my pedicure. She was halfway through my second foot when she just stopped and said, 'Ma'am, I don't want to embarrass you but I think you just wet your pants.' And I realized what had happened, and said to her, no, my water just broke, can you get the woman I came in with and tell her that please?' See, look.' Honey-Milk tugged back the covers on her hospital bed and wiggled seven shiny dark-green toes, and three unpainted ones. 'Didn't even get through that. She gave me the polish, though, told me I could finish it myself if I had the time.'

Ryan said nothing, just picked up her purse, found the tiny little bottle. He moved to the end of her bed, and with an practiced hand, stroked the little nail-lacquer brush over her unpainted nails. When he finished, he screwed the lid back on the bottle then smiled at his bride. 'There. Ten shiny toes.'

'Aw, thanks baby, I...oh, dear.'

'Kick?'

'No, contraction.'

From their spot at the end of the bed, Meredeth nudged Esposito and Lanie. 'Let's let them have some time alone.'

The three of them filed out into the hallway; as they went, Meredeth heard a sniffle and was surprised to see Esposito swipe a hand under his nose. 'Javi?'

'He painted her toes for her while she's in labour.' Esposito looked at the other two women, giving him gooey looks. 'What? I'm not made of stone. It was really sweet.'

Lanie shook her head as she fished out a fiver and some tissues from her purse. 'I think we could all use a drink. Why don't you guys wait up here, I'll go down to the cafeteria and get us something cold, if not aged and fermented in oak barrels.'

As Lanie went to the elevator, they found the waiting room surprisingly empty. The walls were decorated with pictures of women in various stages of pregnancy and to Esposito's utter relief there were no colourful instructional posters showing cross-sections of babies in wombs or in various stages of exiting said wombs. He may have been a decorated homicide detective who'd see his fair share of blood and guts, but there was a difference between seeing a body with his head bashed in on the sidewalk and the abject horror-show that comprised the disgusting miracle of childbirth.

'So what do you think? He a fainter or a cheerleader?'

'Hmm?' Esposito turned to look at Meredeth.

'Ryan. He's gonna hit the deck when things get heavy or he's gonna be cheering her on?'

'Cheering. He may have freaked about the whole natural birth thing, but that's a guy thing. Nothing turns us to jelly quicker than our woman in distress. Kev, the last thing he'd do is let his Honey-Milk down.'

Meredeth nodded in agreement, then, putting her hand on his arm, turned serious. 'Javi, can I make sure we are very clear on one thing?'

'Okay.'

'After we get married, and we're having our own babies, I want drugs. Lots and lots of drugs. I want the legal limit of painkillers possible, and if that's not enough, slip the docs a fifty and see what he can do for me.'

He laughed, gave her a kiss. 'You got it, my little crack-head.'

* * *

They drank colds beverages and waited. While she'd been in the cafeteria, Lanie had called Castle and Beckett - they'd taken Alexis and Sloan up to East Hampton Village for a quasi-family vacation before Alexis went to Japan with Meredeth, and were on their way back to the city with the promise of picking up food for everyone on the way. Everyone took turns sitting with Honey-Milk to give Ryan some down-time, even if it was only a pee break. When it was Esposito's turn, he'd held her hand through three contractions, barely noticing how she gripped his hand like a vise as he breathed with her. When she was finished, Honey-Milked flopped back against the pillows, ran her hand over her belly in circles.

'How far apart?'

'Six minutes-ish, give or take a Mississippi.'

Honey-Milk laughed, smiled at him. 'That's good, being funny is good right now. Can I ask, why aren't you as broken up as Meredeth is over her going to Japan?'

'Oh, it's eating me up inside, but I'll have a lot to occupy my time.' He didn't know what impulse propelled him to it, but he reached for his wallet, and in the flap behind a picture of him and Meredeth, he took out a computer printout of Meredeth's ring and showed it to her. 'I'll be working overtime to pay for that.'

Honey-Milk looked at the picture, then as Esposito. 'Oh, Javier. Really, really?'

'Really, really.'

'Do you know when? Oh, at the airport when she gets back?'

'Nope. Already have it planned.' Esposito took the paper, tucked it back in his wallet. 'I can trust you, right, not to say anything? I want to tell Ryan and the rest myself.'

'Are you kidding, I'll be lucky to remember my own name when things get going here.'

Just then, Ryan popped back in, a bottle of water in his hand. When he leaned over to kiss Honey-Milk on the forehead she sniffed at him. 'Garlic-breath.'

'Yeah, the Castle-Beckett clan is here and they brought snacks. I needed a small bite to eat.'

Esposito slipped out of the room, went to wait with the others and see what kind of snacks his friends brought with them that would give his partner garlic breath.

* * *

The hours seemed to crawl by as they waited. They drank coffee and juice and waited. Sloan volunteered to check on everyone's parking meters, took the appropriate credit cards and cash with her; Lanie being a doctor ducked in and out of the room the most as she could relay the information to the group in the waiting room. Beckett had brought with her from the Hampton house a deck of cards for poker, a deck of Uno cards and Monopoly Express to keep everyone occupied. They ate the pizza and salad, and wraps and brownies. Meredeth shared her iPhone with Beckett and they watched a few episodes of_ Beetlejuice_ - apparently the detective shared her love of eighties cartoons. They named all the mommies and babies in the photos on the wall, took every magazine quiz they could find in the lounge's selection of reading materials.

And waited.

Finally, Andy, the nurse Esposito and Meredeth had met on the floor told them that Honey-Milk was pronounced ready to push and had been taken to delivery.

'Hey.' Alexis looked around as if something had just occurred to her. 'Where are Ryan and Jenny's parents?'

'The Ryans are in Australia, and the Delaneys are in Ireland,' Beckett told her. 'I called both the hotels, left numbers for flights out when they get the messages.'

'But why would they leave when they knew-'

'They'd already been gone for a month, they didn't bank on the baby being so early.' Castle laughed, gave a little 'oof' as Alexis sat on his lap. 'You, my sweet, were eleven days late, and we didn't have cell phones back in ninety-three like we do now, so I barely left your mother's side. I got back to our apartment when she sent me on a cravings-run, and she'd left me a note saying she'd gone into labour and was going to the hospital.'

'What about when I came out? Were you there for that?'

'Absolutely.' Castle flipped a finger down her nose. 'Your mother was in her homeopathic phase, and didn't want drugs. When the doctor told her to push, she broke my hand.'

'Really?'

'Well, hairline fractures in two of my fingers, but same thing.'

Meredeth shook her head, leaned over to Esposito. 'Like I said. Drugs.'

'Agreed, cracky.' Esposito adjusted himself in his chair, spoke to Castle. 'You ever do the shadow thing for a baby-doctor like you do with Beckett?'

'Four times. I was writing the scene where Storm's fiancee was giving birth and I wanted different perspectives- natural, natural with drugs, c-section and twins.'

'My mother was a twin,' Meredeth said offhandedly, then looked up when she saw the others looking at her. 'What?'

'You don't talk about her that much,' Beckett pointed out, 'which I get. Traumatic loss makes relieving the memories hard sometimes.'

She looked at Esposito. 'Since the night terrors have stopped, it's easier.'

'Was she an identical?'

'Yeah. Her twin, Rikki, she's the one that lives in Copenhagen. I've visited her once or twice, but it's kinda creepy.'

'Well, you know twins skip a generation, so chances are you two will have a two-for-one,' Lanie pointed out.

'They're babies, not a special on Tierney's chicken wings, Lanie,' Esposito started, then stopped when Ryan appeared at the doorway, his hair sticking up in tufts from his head and his face show signs of weeping. 'Kev? What are you doing here?'

The entire room went silent as they all stood up, anticipation running high. Ryan put one hand on his hip, cover his mouth with the other and gave a little laugh.

'I'm a daddy. I have a son.'

Cheers exploded in the lounge like fireworks as they enveloped the new father with embraces like villagers greeting a returning war hero. Ryan hugged all of them tightly, tears of joy falling from his blue eyes like rainwater. He kissed all the girls, and got hearty slaps on the back from the guys who were just as choked up as he was.

'A son,' he repeated as they sat down. 'Thomas Delaney Ryan, born July seventeenth, at seven twenty three pm, Eastern Standard Time. Six pounds, thirteen ounces. Little Dell.'

'How's Jenny?' Beckett asked.

'A champion. Unbelievable. Doctor didn't even have to do an episiotomy, his head was small enough.' Ryan laughed as he watched all the women, even Alexis and Sloan cringe. 'Sorry, ladies, just saying she was spared that hell.'

'Lucky girl,' Lanie murmured. 'I don't even like using a razor down there. It's why I go to the day spa.'

'Can we see him?' Beckett asked eagerly; despite having misgivings about potentially making a child with Castle when he'd already been through it eighteen years before, she loved holding new babies. All that possibility in one tiny creature never failed to fascinate her.

Ryan hesitated. 'I'd kinda like Meredeth and Javier to be first, just the two of them. After all, they're going to be godparents.'

Touched, Meredeth gathered her purse up, looped her arm through Esposito's as they followed Ryan out, across a sky-walk to the nursery. They stopped at the window for a moment as Ryan pointed him out.

'Second row back, three from the right. That's him.'

Esposito rested his chin on Meredeth's shoulder as they found the littlest addition to the Twelfth precinct amongst New York City's newest citizens. He was on his back in a white blanket with a little blue hat on his head and what appeared to be booties on both hands and feet. 'Bro, why's he got socks on his hands?'

'They're baby mittens. My boy's got super long fingernails and they don't want him scratching his face. My boy,' Ryan repeated with a chuckle. 'That's my son. Come on.'

They went into the nursery, where Ryan spoke to Andy the nurse and she went over, picked up the newborn then placed him in Ryan's arms. 'There we go, it's okay, Daddy's here,' he murmured as Dell fussed momentarily, then relaxed as Ryan spoke. 'Dell, these are your first visitors, Uncle Javi and Aunt Meredeth.'

'Hey little bro.' Esposito brushed his fingertip over the baby's tiny knuckles. His own heart sighed when he saw the infant yawn, blink open bright blue eyes. 'No question he's yours, dude. He's got your eyes.'

'And Jenny's cheeks,' Meredeth added, sniffling a little. 'Oh Ryan, he's perfect. A perfect little boy.'

'Yes he is. Yes you are,' he told his son who yawned again, then stuck his little tongue out from his lips. 'I know, busy day for you, wasn't it? You must be hungry and tired and you just don't know which way to go, do you?'

Andy stepped over, the plastic bassinet on wheels beside her. 'Time for Dell's first road trip. We're going up to see Mommy now, get in a snack.'

With the nurse's assistance, Ryan placed Dell in the bassinet, then followed her out of the nursery. Knowing they needed their privacy, Esposito and Meredeth hung back as they watched steady Ryan coo the entire time at his baby boy.

'Wow. Ryan's a daddy,' Meredeth managed, tears backing up into her throat. 'You're an uncle.'

'And you're an aunt.' Esposito kissed her temple as they walked back towards the lounge. 'You know, I was thinking-'

'We should get Jenny her green Slushie?'

'You read my mind.'

Meredeth laughed. 'Now can you read mine?' she asked with a suggestive glint in her eyes; Esposito only stared at her.

'Well, the Slushie can wait until tomorrow morning.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	50. Click: July 21

_Hang on to your hats, fan-fic fans! This takes place mostly at Comic-Con and is WAY meta! Also had to give a little shout-out to my 2 favourite Heroes from the Kring-verse!_

* * *

'How many do you think are out there, three four hundred?'

'Oh at least that.'

'No.'

'Seriously, you want to take a look?'

Meredeth peeked out from behind the dark green curtains as she felt her stomach do flip-flops. Kristof was right, the room was jammed. People from all walks of life, fanboys and girls of all shapes sizes and ages were jammed into Auditorium C for the Comic-Con panel Robina had so hastily arranged for the miniseries. She thought she'd seen a tonne when she and Kristof had done the autograph signing with Morgan Myers and his crew, making it a _Lady Hawk/Black Beast_ double billing. But there was easily double the number from that here today.

Comic-Con had been, needless to say, a whirlwind. She'd been as much a gushing fangirl herself meeting people from _The Big Bang Theory_ and J.J. Abrams' _Star Trek_ reboot; they'd all wanted her Jane Hancock as much as she'd wanted theirs. She'd even snapped a photo with Joss Whedon, who only snickered when she said she'd met and become friends with Richard Castle, which she immediately posted to her Twitter with the tweet _Look who I ran into! My inner Firefly fan is clutching her pearls!_ Yet despite all the attention, she was still going back to her hotel room at night alone, missing hearing Arturo's tags jingle as he followed her into bed. And of course, missing Esposito.

She'd known she'd miss him, but she hadn't realized how much she'd loved just the act of sleeping with him. Her big, bad, bullet-wound surviving superhero cop was a snuggly sleeper, who always liked to have some part of himself touching her while they dozed. More often than not, she'd fallen asleep with his arms around her. Because she was in a room on her own, as Robina's son TJ had flown out with her, Meredeth had arranged the extra pillows on the bed so that she bumped up against something solid when she rolled in the night. If he wasn't there, she'd make do with the illusion he was.

'You want a drink before we go up there?'

Meredeth turned and gulped a little when she saw Milo Ventimiglia standing behind her, also looking out through the curtain. They'd worked together now almost two months on the miniseries and still every time she saw him, she immediately wanted to call him Peter Petrelli. 'I think they're going to eat us alive, then auction our bones off on eBay.'

'Relax, it's fine. These things, they are just excited to be here and see their favourite writers and producers and actors. And trust me, this is the place where someone like you can shine. Give them your brains...no pun intended,' he added when she giggled.

'It'd only be a pun if it was from Mister Quinto.'

'That's very true.' Milo checked his watch. 'Hey, did you bring anymore of those brownies?'

'You and my boyfriend, man, you two should meet. Trade choco-holic support group stories.'

'Hey everyone.' Robina walked up, Mila Chaka and Laura Harper behind her, both in the Comic-Con hipster finest and sipping from what Meredeth saw were _Lady Hawk_-logo emblazoned aluminum water bottles. 'Mere, I've got yours here,' she added offering Meredeth a water bottle when she saw where her favourite client was looking. 'You ready?'

'As I'll ever be.'

The moderator made the introductions and as they walked on stage, Meredeth immediately whipped out her video camera to begin recording while she used her iPhone to take some pictures. Because of the immeasurably blinding light radiating from the stage lights, she could barely see beyond the panel table which was a huge comfort to her. Now she understand a little more what her Javi must have felt when he got up on stage with her during her interview.

'Before we begin,' the moderator started, 'I'd just like to say, our illustrious writer, Miss Coleman, finally made it out here to San Diego, she was supposed to be here for the eighteen for the previews and got here half way through the night-screening of the new _Black Beast_ series. She and I were talking over dinner with the rest of the group two nights ago, to go over a little what we wanted to talk about today, and I learned the reason she was delayed in arriving at Comic-Con was because she was on her way to the airport to come out here, when she got a phone-call. One of her best friends had gone into labour and had a little boy on the night of the seventeenth. So from all of us here at Comic-Con, we'd like to say congratulations to Jenny and Kevin Ryan of New York City, on the birth of Thomas Delaney Ryan, born July seventeenth, weighing six pounds and thirteen ounces.'

Meredeth grinned proudly as the auditorium filled with applause; she knew the new parents would geek out over the shout-out from Comic-Con, and it would be something Dell would have for himself as well. Comfortable now that she had the audience somewhat more on her side, the panel began with the moderator asking questions for the first half.

'Meredeth, my question is directed at you.'

'Of course.'

The moderator cleared his throat. 'A lot of writers are involved in the casting process as a consultant when their work is being adapted, so my question is three-fold. First part, when you were working on the adaptation with Bonnie and Mark, or when you're writing , is there a particular voice in your head that you think of when creating a character? Second part, who was the most surprising casting choice for you, and third part, what character has been your favourite to watch come to life?'

'Oh boy, that's a lot of parts.' Meredeth laughed, and the crowd laughed with her. 'When I'm doing the writing for the story itself, for the graphic novel, I wouldn't say there was really a 'role-cast' voice to any particular character, except for one.' She paused, took a sip of water, and it suddenly hit her that she was sitting beside Milo as she'd reveal this. 'I'm a huge fan of Zach Quinto's and I was watching season two of _Heroes_ which is very Sylar-centric, and it was on the time when I was working on Book Four, _Open Your Eyes_, so as I was drafting and developing the character of Marcel, I felt him to be a very Sylar-esque character, someone who wants to prove he's special and more than willing to crack a few heads to do it.'

She dragged her hand through her hair. Milo was right it seemed, this was a lot easier to do than she thought. 'As far as casting surprises, I was astonished when this fine fellow-' she patted Milo's shoulder next to her '-was cast as Andrews, for the simple reason I didn't think he'd be available, what with filming _Dallas, Lieutenant Eve_ in L.A. and us being a New York production. Oh, and Milo, I want my plate back,' she added, much to the delight of the fangirls in the audience.

Milo grinned back at her; they'd been having this little Tweet war for almost a month. 'Like I said, the only way I'm giving it back is if it gets refilled with those yummy vegan brownies. You know the drill.'

'Getting back to the moderator's question, part three, hands down, my favourite to watch come to life was Miss Amaranth. Laura Harper just knocked it out of the park, because when I met her, she was this sweet, unassuming, book nerd, and I know she's laughing at me from the other end of the table-'

'-No, it's true, I am, I read all the time and not just scripts, everything,' Laura added from her place on the panel.

'And then when we were in the studios, she lets it fly, she just goes every which way but loose. I particularly liked the scene where she's grilling Tabitha over why Andrews has been asking for her at the office.'

Meredeth sipped her water, as her microphone was muted by the sound engineers, and took the opportunity to take some more photos. By the time they got through the rest of the panel, it was time to move on to the audience questions. There were some directed at Kristof, others at herself for spoilers for the sixth book, but most were for the actors on what drew them to the role and what kind of comics they liked, allowing Meredeth to really sit back and enjoy herself. Finally the moderator drew the discussion to a close.

'Well, on behalf of Comic-Con, and the lovely people from this production, I want to thank you for being here, I think we have time for one last question. The gentleman at the back.'

Meredeth sipped more water, shook her head; of course the die-hards could always be counted upon for one last kick at the spoiler can.

Then she heard it. The last question.

'Yes, Miss Coleman, I was wondering if you had any dinner plans this evening?'

All professional pretense was gone as she heard Esposito's voice loud and clear on the speakers, and pressed her hands to her mouth in unadulterated delight. 'Not that I can think of, why do you ask?'

'Then perhaps we order room service in your hotel suite.'

The entire auditorium wolf-whistled and applauded, as the panel turned to look at Meredeth; they knew she had a boyfriend but none of them had met Esposito, nor heard what he sounded like. Playing it for the maximum effect, Meredeth picked up her microphone, got up from the table and walked down so she was standing on the floor in front of the stage. 'Depends. Come on up here, let me see what you look like.'

Biting her lip, she grinned as he walked up up the center aisle - no _swaggered_ was closer to the truth. He knew he was about to look like the biggest stud in the room, and for her money, he was. When he walked up to her, she was expecting a hot kiss, maybe a little tongue action. She wasn't prepared for the way he took her in his arms, and dipping her back, planted one on her that nearly steam-cured the leather in her sandals.

Esposito brought her back up right, flicked his fingertip over her nose. 'Hey gorgeous.'

'Hey yourself, handsome.' She cleared her throat, spoke to the audience. 'Yes, this is my boyfriend and no that wasn't planned.'

Up at the podium, the moderator laughed. 'Actually it was, we just didn't tell Meredeth. Take care and enjoy the rest of your afternoon.'

As the group began to filter offstage, Meredeth dragged him through the curtain with her, then planted a kiss on him herself. 'Oh, my god, Javi! What are you doing here!'

'I wanted to surprise you, so I came a day early. I bumped into Robina before you guys went on stage and she told the moderator to let me be the last person to ask a question to the panel.'

'Is Lex with you?'

'Yeah, she's out in the autograph line for _Space Cowboy_. She wants to ask Joss Whedon if her father really was his inspiration for Captain Hammer in _Doctor Horrible._'

'Wouldn't be surprised if he was.' Meredeth gave him a squeeze. 'I've still got some press stuff to do here, so were you serious about room service?'

'Absolutely. We can always meet with people for drinks after, if that's the case.'

'After what?'

Esposito wriggled his eyebrows. 'I brought some selections from the toy box.'

* * *

Meredeth stroked the arch of her foot over Esposito leg. They'd made it to the bed of their hotel room, although just barely, and they had indeed ordered room service. Very romantic room service which they'd put to good use, along with the few things he'd packed in her suitcase from the little white box that stayed under the bed.

'I knew that doing chocolate-tasting again would be fun, but really? Blindfolded fruit tasting was a hell of a lot of fun too.'

'I personally liked making you a bra out of whipped cream and decorating it with suggestively-placed berries.'

'I did too.'

'I know.' Esposito ran his hand up her thigh, before slipping out of her to dispose of the condom - they'd decided to go back to using them after he'd gotten off his pain medication - then resumed his position of stretching out on top of her. 'I could tell by the way you kept saying 'yes' over and over again,' he murmured, cruising his lips along her jaw line.

'So glad Lex has her own room.'

'Yeah, it wouldn't have been right for her to walk in on us doing that.'

'Scar the kid for life.'

'Girl probably lives with foam-rubber ear plugs since Beckett's living with Castle now. There's a couple that's rarely quiet.'

'Oh?' Meredeth cocked her head to the side. 'And we know this how?'

Esposito wrinkled his nose, propped his head on his hand. ' I got to Castle's place early one week for cards night, and I was about to knock when I could hear them...you know, doing their thing...through the door.'

'Really?'

'Mm-hmmm. Went back down to street level, got myself a coffee from the place across the street, went back up and they were _still_ going at it.'

Meredeth couldn't resist. 'Guess it really was poke 'er night, wasn't it?' She got a light thump on the head for her bad joke. 'Is that why you don't like the song _Poker Face_?'

'No. I hated that song way before that night. You hungry?'

'Famished.'

'Why don't we shower and get dressed, and have dinner out, you and me and Lex? The hostess at the desk told me about this great seafood place a couple of blocks from here, right on the water.'

'Sounds divine. Hey,' she pinned him to the bed, gave him a long, slow kiss. 'I love you, Javi.'

'Love you too, Mere.'

As she went into the bathroom, Esposito found his phone on the bedside table and added a little note in the notepad function - _wedding dinner - seafood buffet?_

* * *

_ R&R&Enjoy._


	51. Click: August 3

When Esposito stumbled into the house, he was ready to die. Hell, he'd even consider being shot again a breeze after those hellacious two days. Though the clock in the dash of his car had said it was only eleven fifty-two in the morning, he'd been up for almost forty-four hours straight. Ryan was using a month of his parental leave to bond with his new baby and spend quality time with Honey-Milk so they were a man down to begin with. On top of which he'd already worked a double when he'd been called in with Beckett and Castle to a scene at a health club where a pool attendant was found strangle to death inside a steam room and tied to one of the broken pipes. The heat and the stench were both enormous and because the pipes were controlled by the building, not the club, they'd had to wait to notify the other tenants of the building that the water was being shut off. After they'd gotten the official city permission to do so, of course.

He'd nearly clocked out when they'd made it back to the station after discovering a second body inside the boiler itself, saying he was done and ready for his regulation eight hours between shifts, but he remembered the photo of the ring in his wallet and the look he'd see on Meredeth's face when he presented it to her and it had been worth the extra six hours he'd put in with Beckett culling through phone records. By the time eleven thirty had rolled around, and he'd whacked his head on his desk because he was so god-damn tired, his boss had cut him off.

'Esposito,' she'd all but shaken her finger in his face. 'Go home. Sleep.'

'I'm good, really.'

'Then why did you try to write your notes with your coffee stir-stick and put a pen in your latte?'

Esposito had looked over at his mug, swore when he saw the lidded top of the Bic ballpoint stick out of his mug that Ryan had bought which read 'Don't Make Me Taser You, Bro. 'I can catch a few hours downtime in the break room.'

'You have a three level town in Chelsea with a queen sized bed, wouldn't that be more comfortable?'

'Isn't it obvious, Beckett?' Castle swung through, hanging up from a phone call with his daughter. 'Meredeth's not there to go home to.'

Beckett turned back to her detective, whose golden cheeks were now flushed pink in embarrassment. 'Seriously? Is that why you're copping all this extra overtime?'

'Somewhat. But, really, Beckett. I'm fine. Just pump me up with a double espresso.'

'No. You're not. You've been on the clock for almost two days straight. I'm going to get Castle to drive you home.'

He relented, only because he knew his superior officer would shoot him to stop his protests. Instead, he'd handed over his keys to the novelist and they'd cruised from the precinct back to Chelsea.

Once there Esposito took Arturo to the curb, scooped up after him, then went back inside and toddled into the kitchen in search of food. He'd been thankful that Meredeth had left the little menu planner so he wouldn't blaze through everything in the freezer. He'd invited Gil over a couple of times, and Ike Thornton and his family as well to have a little life in the house, carefully following Meredeth's directions so he didn't give his oldest friends from the force upset stomachs.

And if he happened to eat from Tierney's once or twice just to make her remaining pre-made soups and casseroles last a little longer in the freezer, well he was entitled to it, right? He worked hard, didn't he? Besides, it wasn't like he'd just chowed down on wings for dinner. He'd ordered salad too, and forgone the beer in favour of ice water. He was still getting back into shape from being off sick. Added to which, this way he would even appreciate the fine art of her culinary skill.

But if that wasn't the biggest pile of crap just to make himself feel better that those little bits of Meredeth were still in the house while she was still gone, he was definitely losing his edge as a detective.

He missed Meredeth. Plain and simple, old-fashioned missed her. It felt so weird to sleep alone; after they'd begun dating he'd barely spent a night on his own. He didn't see it as needy, not in the slightest. He'd been someone who'd always valued his space, but somewhere in the back of his head had known that when he found the right woman, he'd barely be able to nap, never mind sleep in her absence. He'd washed the linens when he'd done his laundry three days before, and when he'd gone to bed, there was no cucumber soap and French perfume scent lingering on the sheets; Esposito had even tried using her soap on his skin, but it just wasn't the same.

He stood in front of the fridge, then the cupboards, then the fridge again. When he heard the dog wander into the kitchen and park his butt on the floor behind him, Esposito only shook his head.

'I don't need to eat, I need sleep,' he told the dog. Trudging upstairs, Esposito found himself briefly thinking about filling the old-fashioned claw-foot tub in the main bathroom with cool water, but out of fear of drowning in his sleep, he simply went into the bedroom. He stripped down naked, then went face first onto the covers; again, he briefly thought about pulling the summer-weight duvet around his chest and settled the soft, freshly washed plum coloured sheet around his waist. Sleep, glorious sleep, was seeping into every fibre of his being and he wasn't about to fight it off. With welcoming arms, Esposito embraced the blackness.

Less than three minutes later, he lifted his head from his pillow to snarl at the ringing house phone. 'I pulled a double and I have to be back on nights at seven pm, I just want some sleep,' he grumbled as he picked up the receiver. 'Unless this is my girlfriend promising me phone sex from the other side of the world, fuck off and die.'

'Nice to see your phone manners are still the same.'

His eyes flew open at Meredeth's chipper-sounding voice. Sleep was a distant memory; it had been three days since he'd heard her voice live - because of the time difference, she'd been forced to leave voice mail most of the time. 'Hi baby, didn't expect to hear from you. What's happening on Hokkaido?'

'Alexis and I are on Honshu now, and Alexis is out with some people she met, a pair of female students doing what she's doing. I think they're out at a karaoke bar around the corner from here, so I'm home alone.'

'So you thought you'd call me?'

'I was missing you, thought I might catch you on your day off.'

'Aw, what a softie. I miss you too babe. Arturo keeps staring at your side of the bed and growling at me, wondering why exactly you're not here.'

'Poor little guy. How's the big bad city?'

'Still big, still bad. How's the tour?'

'Good. My translator is lovely, and she's teaching Alexis a lot of phrases so she can get around the city.'

He heard the hesitation in her voice. 'Mere? Everything alright?'

'Yeah, it's ...well, I'm just missing you so much and I thought, maybe, we might...have a little bedtime story?'

Now he was really awake. 'Seriously?'

'Javi, it's one-thirty in the morning and I'm catching an eight am train out to Fujimita tomorrow. I couldn't sleep, and I've tried everything. Hot tea, a bath, a boring book. Nothing, so I thought, maybe...'

'Ooh.' Intrigued now, Esposito rolled to his back, wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder as he kicked back the sheet. It had become one of his biggest turn-ons in bed, hearing the way she'd paint a one-hundred percent smutty word-picture, and now she wanted to turn it into phone sex, which would let him live out another of his top-five sex-with-Meredeth fantasies. 'Even fourteen time zones away, you still can't resist your Puerto Rican Valentino, can you?'

'Any more than you can resist your Danish sex goddess, who is wearing almost nothing to bed.'

'How much is almost nothing?'

'Nothing except the NYPD panties you gave me at Valentine's Day.'

Esposito groaned in frustrated pleasure. 'That's hot, Mere. You like fine in those.'

'Yeah, just lying here in my panties, fresh out of a coconut milk bath.'

'Coconut?'

'Mm-hmm, the real deal too. My skin's all soft and smooth and smells like the beach, the way it does when you like to take a big bite out of it.'

'Damn. So what would we be doing, if I was there?'

'You'd kiss me, long and deep, as you put your hands on me. Those big, strong hands on my breasts, caressing them and squeezing them, rubbing your thumbs over my nipples making me cry out for more.'

He had a mental flash of her naked but for the panties she described, felt himself harden at the fantasy of her smelling so fresh and delicious as she glided those hands of hers over her own body while she spoke to him.

'Then what?'

'You leave one hand on my breast, and use your mouth on the other; your tongue flicking over my nipple and it's making me so wet for you. I'm moaning and writhing beneath you and you make me beg for your tongue between my thighs.'

'You're such a tease, Mere.' He wasn't sure if he said it out loud, not when he'd started to rub his hand over his lower stomach, feeling the blood rushing south of the equator. 'What next?'

Her voice had gone to a whispering purr, dropping nearly an octave as her own libido had begun to throb and she was tracing her finger tips over her stomach, each pass closer and closer to her breasts. 'Finally you give in, and you're kissing your way up my inner thigh until you hit the honeypot, flicking your tongue over me, and I'm already so hot and so wet for you, babe, I'm ready to come.'

'I know the feeling.' He ached for her now, as he stroked himself, steeped in the fantasy she so vividly described. He shifted so he lay flat on his back on the bed and imagined she was there with him.

'But before I can, you slow down, making me call out your name again and again. My fingers hold you in place as I'm begging for more until you take two fingers to part my swollen, heated lips and drive your tongue inside me, and it shatters me. I come so hard I almost black out. I beg you not to stop and you don't; I can feel the second one coming soon as you lick me clean.'

'Jesus, Mere.' He wasn't sure she heard him, as he could hear her own breathing growing ragged, the way it did when she was close to climax.

'By now you can't wait any longer either, so you move up my body and sink that beautiful hardness inside me. I plead for it to be hard and fast, but you make it so slow and deep, thrusting yourself in and out at almost full length, each pass rubbing up against that sweet trigger between my thighs.' Meredeth moved her hand down her body to slip between her legs, felt the moisture through her panties and for a brief moment as she closed her eyes, she was in New York with her lover. 'I call out to you I'm coming, and as I do, you lower your mouth to my breast, suckling at me as you start to come with me. God!'

She ended on an oath as the orgasm zipped speedily through her blood, whimpering partly from the pleasure she felt, partly in frustration it was not nearly as satisfying as what she really wanted.

'Mere-' He couldn't take it anymore; teeth clenched, he gasped out her name as his body shuddered. He felt the ooze in his hand; propping the phone against his shoulder, he reached for the bedside box of Kleenex to mop up the worst of the damage. When he'd sufficiently tidied himself, he flopped back onto the bed. 'Damn, you give good phone.'

'Right back at you. That certainly made me feel more relaxed.'

'Question.'

'Yes?'

'When are you back here?'

'Twleve days, why?'

'Just so I know how long I have to wait to do that to you in person.' He glanced at the clock, did a quick calculation. 'It's almost two am, babe. Try to get some sleep.'

Meredeth grinned as she rolled to her side. 'Sex as a sedative. Never fails.'

'Love you.'

'Love you too.'

When she clicked off, Esposito hung up the phone, and just stared at the ceiling for a second or two, then dropped into sleep like a stone into a rippling pond. It was the best he'd slept since coming back from California.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	52. Click: August 8

'So let me get this straight, Lanie.' Beckett tapped her fingers at the pictures on the murder board while Esposito, Castle and the ME looked on. 'Hester Hopkins was found first, in the steam room, but Miran Pringle was killed first?'

'Considering the factors of heat deterioration and body temperature, yes. Ms. Pringle died at least four to six hours before Ms. Hopkins was even at the health club.'

'Alright, so we're looking at comings and goings between eight and ten am the day Ms. Hopkins died. Esposito, go goose the IT guys, see what they can give us from the surveillance tapes and swipe card data. I'll start talking to the club custodial staff.'

Esposito shoved off Beckett's and was about to ring up the AV lab when the elevator doors slid open and the newest father of the Twelfth precinct walked off; he was greeted like a king, everyone coming over to congratulate him on the baby, someone even handed him a cigar, when he popped into his pocket.

'Hey big daddy!' Esposito greeted him with a knuckle bump. 'Needed a break from the nursery?'

'Jenny sent me out to get the disposable film we took developed, thought I'd swing by and share some pictures.'

'Alright, let's see.' Esposito took the envelope from his hand, looked at the silly photos of Ryan with Dell on the floor of the living room looking deliriously happy, then pictures of Honey-Milk holding the little guy in a table-topper baby bathtub. 'Oh, little bro's first sponge bath.'

'He didn't like that so much.'

'I can see,' Esposito agreed, seeing how Dell's blue eyes were scrunched shut in a desperate little wail as his mommy rubbed him down with a damp washcloth. 'He's beautiful, bro. You got time for a coffee?'

'Sure.'

Esposito left his partner to show off his precious angel to Beckett and Lanie, heard the added masculine coos that told him Castle had arrived as well. Because he was alone slid the printout out of his wallet while he waited for the coffee to brew. He knew it was a risky move, but he couldn't help himself. Ever since he'd downloaded the picture, he'd felt like a junkie with a fresh stash and looking at it was scoring his fix, especially while Meredeth was still in the Land of the Rising Sun. But the break-room at work? There'd be more than a few questions if he was caught with it.

'Hey, you wanna keep one of Dell's pics for yourself?' Ryan looked over his partner's shoulder, his need for caffeine having driven him to the break room. His round blue eyes popped wide when he saw the image on the paper before Esposito could tuck it back in his suit jacket pocket. 'Holy shit, bro, is that what I think it is?'

'It's nothing.'

'Ryan, what's taking so long? I could have found the beans in Hawaii for...what, what'd I miss?' Castle slowed his rant when he saw Esposito's red face and Ryan's goofy, prideful grin.

'Dude, he's got a picture of a ring. A diamond ring. From Tiffany's.' Ryan drew out the clues, relishing every word as he saw the light of knowledge blink over Castle's head. The writer mirrored Ryan's grin as he turned to Esposito.

'Seriously? Let's have a look.'

Relenting, Esposito held out the paper, scratched his head in self-consciousness. Ryan and Castle stared at it like it was a photo of Jennifer Aniston buck naked on the hood of a Maserati. Even looking at it with them, he knew he'd made the right choice - the simple platinum band, the cluster of glittering jewels forming a flower burst in the center was perfect for his Meredeth.

'It's gorgeous, man. You know your woman. How long you been sitting on this?'

'Since the beginning of July. Well, I knew before then and had looked around, but I picked it out about a month and a half ago. I'm going to pick it up at the store tomorrow after shift.'

'This is freaking amazing.' Giddy as a school boy now, Castle rapped his knuckles lightly against Ryan's chest. 'He's going to propose to Meredeth.'

Hearing the words from another man's mouth hit Esposito like a schoolyard punch to the gut. He tried hiding his grin bashfully, staring hard at his shoes and putting his hands on his hips but it was no avail - one look at the glee on Castle's face had him squeezing his friend in a tight bear hug of nervous excitement, and repeating the routine for an equally excited Ryan.

'What's with all the manly bonding?' Beckett strolled into the break, not bothering to hide her annoyance that she'd sent Castle for coffee and found he'd had gotten sidetracked by her boys, one of whom wasn't even on the clock.

'Can I tell her?' Castle asked. He was all but hopping up and down on the spot; once he got the go-ahead gesture from his partner, he blurted out, 'Esposito's going to propose to Meredeth!'

For a moment, Beckett allowed the cop to turn off. She let out an excited cry, gave Esposito a tight hug. 'Oh that's fantastic! Does she have any idea, I mean have you talked about marriage?'

'Oh yeah, but she doesn't think it'll happen for awhile.'

'He's been carrying around a picture of the ring for six weeks, too,' Ryan added for good measure, handed it to Beckett for inspection. 'Take a look.'

Beckett gave a low whistle. 'Platinum setting, Northern Canadian fair-trade round cut diamonds totalling point-six carats. Unique and beautiful, just like her.'

'And it's from Tiffany's.'

'Thank you Detective Ryan, I can read.'

'Can we get back to that pesky murder case now?' Esposito, having had his fill of embarrassment from his co- workers, poured himself a straight coffee.

'Fine, but you owe us a post-shift beer so we can plan how you're going to it.'

'You got it.'

* * *

True to his word, Esposito went with Castle and Ryan to Pookaloo's, a nifty little joint that was casual in feel and stellar in its pub-and-diner menu. They found a booth, flagged down a waitress. Visions of an ice cold Brava vanished from Esposito's mind when Castle asked for a bottle of champagne and three glasses from the waitress. Her eyebrows winged up in a surprise that three men were ordering champagne, but she put in the order and left them to contemplate a snack.

'I thought we were having beer.'

'You cannot toast an imminent engagement with beer. Nothing but the finest bubbly this place can offer to elebrate. If we're getting food, you should try the cracked pepper short-ribs. They're insane.'

Ryan shook his head as the waitress returned with the bottle of Piat D'Or in a bucket of ice, along with three flutes. 'Thanks a million. This looks great for celebrating.'

'If you don't mind me asking, what's the occasion?'

'Our boy here's going to propose to his girlfriend,' Castle crowed, 'and we'll also take the mixed appetizer plate, along with the garlic salt-and-pepper bread.'

'Oh fantastic!'

'Show her the ring,' Ryan added excitedly, tapping the table with his finger.

'You are obsessed with the ring, bro.' But Esposito obliged him, hauled the picture out of his pocket to show the girl. Like Beckett, the waitress gave a little cry of joy.

'Oh congratulations, it's beautiful! Are you planning the bachelor party already?'

'No, we're planning how he's going to pop the question,' Castle supplied, then waited until she'd left before they got down to the serious task at hand. 'I'm thinking she'd dig a candlelight dinner at home, something low key and sweet.'

'No way. Meredeth rarely lets me cook, which I am perfectly fine with because she is an amazing chef, and I'm not having our engagement dinner be take-out from Petrelli's or Tierney's.'

'Oh, oh, I know.' Ryan bounced in his seat like a five-year-old on a sugar rush. 'Hansom cab ride in Central Park, then you give her a single rose with a ribbon tying the ring to the stem.' He felt his heckles go up when the other two men shook their heads. 'Why not? It's tasteful, classy-'

'And completely over done. Originality is key,' Castle reminded his friend. 'Not everyone elopes like you and Honey-Milk did.' He paused. 'You seem awfully worked up about this, Ryan. Something you want to share with the class?'

Ryan shifted in his seat, then decided to come clean. 'Bro, remember back in June, I was at your place playing Madden and I borrowed your laptop to check my email? I may or may not have accidentally seen the email in your inbox from Francesca giving you info on diamond shopping.'

He waited for the explosion from Esposito but it never came, instead the Puerto-Rican looked relieved.

'Thanks for not bringing it up. I'm a nervous wreck as it is planning this.' Esposito looked at both of them, folded his hands on the table. 'Thank you for your suggestions, really, but I think I have this one in the bag.'

Castle and Ryan leaned in simultaneously like they were a two-headed monster. 'Share.'

'Oh come on-'

'Share.'

'Guys-'

'Share!' They bellowed in unison, making other tables glance in their direction.

'Alright.' Esposito cleared his throat as Castle took the wine from the ice bucket, began to open it. 'The new graphic novel she's got coming out-'

'The one she dedicated to you-' Ryan chipped in.

'Yes, Kevin, that one. There's going to be a small launch party for it at the Waldorf a week after she gets back, and we agreed I'll do a little thanks-for-coming speech, and since everyone whose important to her will be there, that's when I'll ask her.'

'Well I'll be damned. My daughter was right.' Castle shook his head.

'Right about what?'

'When you went on the interview with Meredeth with Craig Ferguson, none of us could figure out what you were up to except Alexis. I didn't really take it seriously, because, well, it's you, you're not one for being public with your emotions.'

Esposito simply shrugged. 'Meredeth brings it out in me. But back to my idea. What do you think?'

'It's ballsy, very ballsy.' Castle popped the cork subtly, began filling the glasses. 'You're not worried she'll find out? You know how gossip runs around this place.'

'She's only back a week before the big night so unless someone is tweeting or texting her, she's out of the loop. Why, you think doing it big like that is a bad idea?'

'Not exactly, there's simply a lot to consider. I mean, It's a public venue so the showiness is a factor, but on the other hand, it's not like it's a jumbo-tron at a Mets game. And Meredeth was notoriously well known for being single until you came along so the press at the party will leap on that like pitbulls on a porkchop.'

'Don't forget, you'll both cry,' Ryan added taking a flute of champagne from Castle.

'Did you?'

'Jenny cried when I asked her and I wept like a baby when she said yes, and I asked her when she was waking up from a nap in the hospital lounge. You'll pour buckets if you do it big and grand like this.'

'Thanks for the tip. Oh, Castle,' Esposito switched his train of thought only slightly. 'Do you think you could get your suit guy to hook me up for the big night?'

'Absolutely. The way you've been racking up the overtime, you could get your two or three if you wanted.'

'Hey look, food!' Thankful for the distraction, Esposito took the stack of small plates from the waitress followed by a flute of champagne from Castle. His stomach gave a loud gargle and he realized he hadn't eaten very much all day - or all week, come to that. He hadn't realized until now he'd been cutting down on his eating out of nervous energy as much as hoarding his Meredeth-prepared meals. As the waitress set the platters down, he heard his phone peep Good Vibrations. With an unabashed grin, he read the text from his beloved.

_Found a place in Tokyo that is both sushi bar AND aquarium. I emailed you the pictures. Take care of my cop. Love you. xx M._

Without hesitating, he immediately replied - _Sounds awesome but are any of the sharks named Brian? Your cop is staying safe. Love you. xx J.  
_

Castle smiled at his soon-to-be-engaged friend as he put his phone back in pocket. Because he knew it was ridiculously cheesy and completely appropriate, the writer tapped his fork against his glass. 'Alright, a little toast here gentlemen. To Meredeth, here's knowing she'll says yes.'

* * *

_ R&R&Enjoy._


	53. Click and Save: August 15

_So this is it! This is the last snapshot of Esposito and Meredeth's courtship! But not to worry, for you see, there is a BRAND NEW FIC with its first two chapters up and running for our favourite non-slash, non-Lanie-Sposito-ship couple. This has been one of my favourites to write and I'd like to take a second to explain the reason behind calling the chapters 'Click' - I see each of these chapters as snapshots taken from something akin to a digital photo file, and writing the fic was like creating a photo-album of memories of their courtship. As this is the last chapter, I thought calling it Click and Save felt appropriate to bring things to a close. I opted not to put 'Fin' at the end, because we all know, it's not the end. I know where I want this to 'end' in the Crumbs-verse and we're nowhere even close to that. So buckle up, because we're moving on to the next chapter of the Mere-Sposito relationship! Also, once again, big huge thumbs-up shout out to Ariel119 for being my quasi beta-reader and unshakably faithful follower, to I'm Widget for their LOL reviews, and to everyone who's read and reviewed!_

* * *

On her last evening in Japan, Meredeth sat sipping green tea in a little restaurant across the street from her hotel. She would miss the tea, but then, what was tea compared to the man who would make her tea that was waiting for her back in the Big Apple? God how she ached for him. She'd been focused on her work during the day and having Alexis traveling with her for two weeks had been delightful, like backpacking with a younger sister. They'd gone to Shinto temples, eaten Japanese street food, they'd gone to karaoke and even gotten a little daffy on sake together one night at a sushi bar. But at night, she'd lay awake and realize she'd' become one of those Lily Aldrin and Marshall Eriksen couples, the kind who didn't like going to sleep without the knowledge that their significant other was close by.

'You are very quiet, Merry-san.'

'I'm sorry, Shiori-san, I'm just deep in thought.' Meredeth smiled at Shiori, her personal guide and translator the Festival committee had assigned to her. She was a small slip of a woman - she'd have to look up to stare Lili in the face - with huge brown eyes and a murmur of a voice. Despite being a cultural ambassador to one of the Festival's three international guests, it hadn't taken long for her inner manga fan to surface. Appropriately enough, when Shiori had asked what Alexis and Meredeth's names meant, the two New Yorkers learned their book-festival guide's name translated to 'bookmark'.

'I can tell. You have talked as fast as the bullet-train every other night. You are sad to be leaving?'

'A little.' It was true. Meredeth was sad to be leaving such a beautiful city; there was a reason, she'd discovered, that the Festival had booked her to stay there - she was treated the way Americans treated movie stars. Every morning, Shiori had shown her the papers and translated the articles featuring her photograph. The positive attention had been overwhelming at times but also immensely fun. 'Mostly, I'm just thinking of my boyfriend. I've missed him so much.'

'Yes, your Ho-vee,' she said, and Meredeth had to bite back a laugh at Shiori's pronunciation. 'He is an honourable man?'

'Very much so. He's a police officer, he investigates murders.'

'An essential occupation, as is yours.'

Meredeth blushed a little; it was something Shiori had been saying the entire time they'd worked together and it was only now, on their last night together that she found the courage to ask the question that had been in her mind since the first time she'd heard it. 'You keep saying that, Shiori.'

'But it's true. You are familiar with a Mister Jonathan Larson, he was also a New Yorker and playwright?'

'Of course,' Meredeth said with a small smile. Every musical theatre fan worth her Playbill-salt knew the name of the tragic _Rent_ scribe. 'He was a brilliant man, very insightful.'

'I am also a fan of his. I saw the National Theatre Company perform his play in Tokyo and Kyoto. There was one line from it that always resonated with me.'

'Which one?'

'At the end of the first act, the character, Mark, he says 'the opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation'. It stayed with me from the first time I heard it. It's why I got involved with the Festival. War is violent, and destructive, and we celebrate artistic creation. Your books, your creations, honor Ho-vee-san's work in a way you probably never thought of.'

Meredeth couldn't resist the giggle this time. 'His name his pronounced _Hah-vee_, Shirori-san.'

'Oh.' Shirori sipped her tea, smiled politely. 'He is Korean?'

'Puerto-Rican. Javi is short for Javier.'

Shirori repeated the name, and it came out more like _Ho-vee-an_, shook her head. 'It's a very complex name.'

'It's Spanish.' Because she was both horny and sleep-deprived, Meredeth wasn't at all surprised her brain went to the wake-up sex she'd had with Esposito the morning of her flight to Sapporo and he'd spoken in nothing but Spanish. It had been erotic and sweet at the same time. As if just to tease her, the air was suddenly split with the sound of The Crystals. 'And speaking of which that's him.'

'Then I will excuse myself and see you tomorrow morning, bright and early.'

Shiori placed a few yen on the table, left as Meredeth picked up her phone; she smiled as she saw it wasn't a text but an actual person-to-person call.

'Hello my love.'

'Hey babe. Can't talk long, on my way to work.'

Meredeth blinked, checked her watch to do the calculation. 'So early? It's like four in the morning where you are.'

'Got called in early. Ryan's still on paternity leave until the twentieth so we're short-handed.'

'Ah. How's my puppy?'

'Lonely, missing you, and he's not the only one. Listen I gotta run, babe, just wanted to double check, you're on Japan Air flight eight-seven-fourteen at La Guardia, landing at nine-thirty?'

'You betcha. Take care of my cop.'

'You got it. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

'Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Pauls speaking, we have just been given tower clearance to make our landing approach into New York City's La Guardia International Airport. Local time and temperature is nine-thirty-three pm Eastern Standard Time and seventy-nine degrees Fahrenheit. To speed up your customs processing, please have your paperwork completed and your passport ready for inspection. The first class passengers will deplane first, followed by our platinum ticket holders, and then our economy and business ticket holders. Thank you for choosing Japan Air, we hope you've enjoyed your flight.'

Meredeth finished off the last of her Coke Zero; she'd lost count how many she'd had. She had been stuck in the limbo of flight travel and crossing the international date line made trying to figure out what the fuck time it was give her a rampaging headache. The possibility it was the caffeine she was pumping into her system that was giving her a migraine didn't occur to her in the slightest; she just wanted to be home. Rather than focusing on the fact she was stuck in a diesel-powered Greyhound bus with wings, she found things to occupy her time in her immediate circumstances.

She'd watched _Tin Man_ on the in-flight movie selection, after which she'd caught a small cat-nap - being able to stretch out on her sleep-bunk in first class was totally worth the extra coin on her ticket price. She re-read the entirety of _Chessmen of Mars, A Clockwork Orange _and _War of the Worlds_ on her iPod, downed Coke Zero like it was going to be deemed a contraband substance, chatted with all the flight attendants on their breaks about her books, and tried not to mentally will the plane to go faster to get her to La Guardia.

But that was behind her now. The minute she felt the wheels bump against solid ground underneath her feet, she nearly jumped up from her seat and yelled 'Woo-hoo!' Or she would have if she had the energy. Instead she tucked her carry-on over her shoulder, customs paperwork and passport in hand, and left her seat to trudge off the plane behind the others. As she left, one flight attendant who'd asked for her autograph, Niecia, gave her a small hug and it made her smile for a moment or two before more waiting.

Surprisingly the line at customs was short, only forty-five minutes, and Meredeth forced herself to stand upright as she approached the stern-faced customs agent. Her square Germanic face was as friendly as a shark attack as Meredeth passed her the necessary sheets and answered the standard questions.

'Was the purpose of your trip business or pleasure, ma'am?'

'Business.'

'Any tobacco, alcohol, or other items to declare?'

'No.'

'Passport, please.'

When Meredeth handed it over, the guard looked at the name, looked at her with only the slightest change of expression to show the slightest sliver in interested curiosity. 'You're the writer, aren't you?'

'When I'm not in the fugue state of international travel, yes.'

The agent said nothing for a moment, just pulled open a drawer and to Meredeth's utter amazement, pulled out a beaten-up copy of the original printing of _Midnight is Crashing_, opened the front cover and passed her a pen. 'If you could make this out to Grace Ingersoll, I'd appreciate it.'

'Of course.' Meredeth signed the book, took back her passport. 'Thank you, ma'am.'

'Thank you, and welcome home Miss Coleman.'

Meredeth passed through the doors to go and claim her luggage; she knew she was falling asleep on her feet, as the couple standing next to her tapped her shoulder and asked her if her suitcase was missing. After she picked up her luggage, Meredeth toddled over to the currency stand where she changed her yen into cold hard US greenbacks. Finally, finally, after almost a full day of being in transit, she was really and truly going home.

She made it through the doors of the arrivals gate and instantly started to weep. There he was, in all his beautiful, bad-cooking, video-game and chocolate loving glory. He'd made a little sign that said 'Merry-Cherry' and was even wearing his dress uniform hat to make himself look like her chauffeur. She wheeled her suitcase down the ramp behind her, as he made his way through the crowds and caught her in a tight embrace, his lips fiercely crushing down on hers.

'You're home,' he murmured, then pulled back as he saw her eyes overflowing, brushed his thumb over the wet splotches on her face. 'What are these for?'

'I'm tired, I'm so tired, baby. I've been awake for twenty-eight hours and twenty-four of them have been spent either in an airport or on a plane,' she sniffled, taking his hand as he towed her luggage behind them. 'I'm home. I love you so damn much and I could barely sleep without you and the sharks weren't as much fun without you there either.' She was babbling and she knew it, but Meredeth didn't give a damn.

'I love you, too, Mere. But I don't know who missed you more, me or those guys.'

They'd made it out to the drop-off and pick-up curb, and Meredeth's jaw dropped open when she saw her friends standing beside a shining black limo. Castle and Beckett were both there, along with Lanie and Dave, even Ryan was there, minus Honey-Milk. Meredeth let go of his hand as Lanie rushed over to give her a big squeezing hug.

'Welcome home girlfriend!' Lanie herself swiped at a few tears as she helped Meredeth put her suitcase in the trunk of the limo. 'Your hubby wanted to throw you a welcome home party but we all thought you'd be way too tired, so Castle suggested we all meet you here in this big black boat multitask - party on the drive home.'

'It's perfect.' Meredeth turned to Castle, kissed his cheek. 'Thank you.'

'Anything for my favourite graphic novelist and her boyfriend.' Castle returned her kiss on the cheek, glad he'd remembered the F-word couldn't be used. Not yet, anyways. 'Hop in, there's a surprise in there for you.'

Too tired to question it, Meredeth slid in and was hit by the scent of baby. Look up the bench of the limo, she saw to her utter delight and surprise Honey-Milk with little Dell in a sling and suckling heroically at his mother's breast. 'Jenny! You're here too!'

'You didn't think I'd miss welcoming you home, did you?'

'It's okay for the baby?' she asked as Ryan sat beside his wife and discreetly draped a receiving blanket over her for modesty's sake as the others slid in.

'Yeah, he'd be up anyways for his first late-night snack, so long as the milk-bar goes with him, he's a happy traveling boy. You don't mind me nursing him, do you?'

'Not at all, breastfeeding is a beautiful and natural thing.'

'I think we all agree on that,' Castle commented, earning a smack in the gut from Beckett followed by a warm kiss as he reached for the bottle of red wine he knew Meredeth loved from the limo's minibar. He uncorked it, poured seven glasses, then filled an eighth with pomegranate juice for Honey-Milk. 'But it also means your title of Best Boobs at the Twelfth Precinct has been trumped, Meredeth.'

'I disagree,' Esposito piped up, taking a glass for himself and passing one to the almost-asleep Meredeth. 'You need a straw for this, champ?'

'I don't think so. But after it's finished, I may need a hand getting upstairs to bed.'

Ryan reached over, slapped his partner's shoulder. 'Hey, bro, any words to welcome your sweetheart back?'

'Yeah, what are you making for breakfast tomorrow?'

Meredeth laughed along with her friends in spite of her exhaustion, drank her wine as she felt Esposito press a little kiss on her neck as they held hands in the back of the limo. It was good to be home.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


End file.
